


The snails revolution

by Basorexia



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond, Batman: Arkham (Video Games), The Batman (Cartoon), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Best Friends, Gen, I don't know how to tag but it's ok, If you like Jason I like you, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd is Red Hood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-10-23 15:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17686193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basorexia/pseuds/Basorexia
Summary: It started with new neighbours, then his friend and roommate decided to be friendly with others, and it ended in him not being able to help himself but to smile.Really, he should have stayed in his sofa that night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome :) 
> 
> This is my first work in a very long time, so feel free to criticise and recommend amelioration. If you just liked it (or not, it happens too), feel free to say it as well :) 
> 
> There is grammar errors, and I am sorry for that, english not being my mother tongue, and not having a beta does that, but I try my best to offer the best work I can. 
> 
> Enjoy !!

Evenings spent doing nothing, lying on the couch in front of the rerun of an obscure series from the 1980s, are not common in Jason's life. 

He was determined not to let anything spoil his night's rest, and Roy's repeated complaints, currently best friend and roommate, could not get him to react despite Roy's enthusiasm for his work.  
Jason was lying on the couch, jogging pants for his only clothing and his arm folded under his neck, looking distractedly at the characters in the current sitcom. Roy was leaning against the kitchen bar, trying in vain to get his friend to react, who had decided that for once he would not move and would spend his evening turning into a vegetable. 

The redhead was racking his brain to find a more annoying idea than the previous one, he had decided that he was bored and absolutely wanted to get his boredom on the nerves of his colleague, who for once had done nothing to provoke any confrontation. 

As a new idea based on a spatula and a pan bottom began to sprout in Roy's mind, a dull shock from the apartment next door interrupted his reflection.  
 He looked at the wall with a surprised look, then shrugged his shoulders and ignored it. Roy discreetly walked towards the cupboard that housed the pots and grabbed one before looking for the spatulas that Jason had jealously guarded since the redhead's last culinary attempt. 

He stopped suddenly when the thumping sound repeated itself. 

He frowned and took a look at Jason who had not moved off the couch and who did not seem to be bothered in the slightest by the third deaf blow from next door.  
Intrigued the redhead put the pan on the worktop and glued his ear to the wall when a fourth thumping sounded. He stood facing the wall and looked at it, his eyebrows frowned, his fists on his hips.

He stepped back when a succession of dull blows began to hammer the wall. 

It was around that time that Jason decided to emerge.  
He straightened up and laid his eyes successively on the pan, and on Roy, with a questioning look. 

\- I swear, I had nothing to do with that noise. I was planning on a major pot concerto, not the suffocated impression of a maniac hitting his head against the wall.  
\- Roy...  
\- What? What? I'm bored, I have to find something to take care of myself....  
   
A new series of muffled blows began to resonate against the kitchen wall, interrupting the redhead in the middle of his sentence.  
Jason frowned and Roy stretched out his arms, pointing to the wall and as if saying, "Ah, you see, I'm not the one responsible for this noise. ».  
With a resigned sigh, Jason rolled his eyes and chose not to let this little inconvenience spoil his evening. He sat back in the couch and let out a growl of frustration when the noise started again.  
Roy, out of a desire to antagonize their neighbour, gave a dozen blows on the wall in question to even the score.  It is not necessary to point out that this did not have the expected effect, and the blows resounded once again, only about ten centimetres to the right of the last series.  
   
\- What the hell is going on? Is he trying to dig a door into the wall?  
\- He's going to stop eventually. I wouldn't get up again because our neighbour decided to play the jackhammer.  
   
Apparently Jason's words were not heard by the person in charge of the night concert since the blows started again and lasted this time for about three minutes, watch in hand.  
   
\- That's starting to get annoying.  
\- Tell me about it. 

Jason got up grunting and walked towards the front door.  
   
\- Where are you going?  
\- To see our neighbour. I'm not gonna let a hammerhead ruin my evening. I want to be able to disconnect my brain in front of the TV in a quiet way.  
\- It's already rare enough to see you in front of the TV instead of a book in hand that I wouldn't be surprised if you made him eat his hammer.  
\- All the more reason. Let me enjoy my evening.  
   
Jason, followed by Roy who obviously wanted to see the scene with his own eyes, came out of the apartment and went straight to their next-door neighbour and knocked three times at the door.  
Suffocated and indistinct words came to them and hasty footsteps approached the door.  
The keys turned in the lock and a young woman wearing a turquoise blue t-shirt that was obviously too big for her, with a white inscription on it, and jean shorts opened for them.  
   
\- Good evening, can I help you?  
   
Roy opened his eyes, and a smile came to his lips. Jason replied before his colleague could even speak one word.  
   
\- Yes. If you could stop the hammering or sledgehammering on the wall. We would like to be able to enjoy the evening in peace and quiet.  
\- Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you weren't at home. My roommate and I have just moved in, and the previous tenant told us that you and your roommate were never there in the evening....  
   
A surprised look passed over Jason face and Roy snickered  
   
After several minutes of discussion, the meeting with the new neighbours was not unpleasant and Jason was assured that the hammer blows would stop for tonight. They would resume the next day in the morning and would not last long, just the time for (Y/N), to finish hanging the few paintings she and her roommate brought with them.  
Once back in their apartment, Roy went into the kitchen and opened the fridge, leaning forward to get a better view of the contents. Jason, on the other hand, has returned to his original place on the couch, hoping to finally be able to relax in front of the TV.  
   
He knew that his evening would not be quiet or relaxing when Roy, who had meanwhile taken a beer out of the fridge and settled in the kitchen bar, threw at him:  
   
\- Why do you absolutely insist on justifying yourself, and I want to highlight that last part, by stammering that we were not a couple and that you had no one in your life?   

——————————————————————————————————————————————

 

As indicated, the hammer blows started again the next day in the morning and lasted a short 15 minutes before completely stopping.  
Jason already up at this time sighed and tried to focus again on cleaning his weapons that he had just started when the shots had begun. After several minutes, Roy entered the main room and dragged himself to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, he passed the bar, cup in hand, and sat on the chair in front of Jason, around the round table that usually served as their dining table. 

\- I heard some noise, they started the work again?  
\- I don't call hanging paintings work but yes, and I think they're finished, there's been no noise for several minutes. 

Roy nodded and immersed himself in the smell of his fresh coffee.  
It was going to be a pretty quiet day for them. They had nothing planned before their evening patrol, and Jason had already planned to stand up Tim and had no intention of responding to Dick's invitation to come by the mansion.  
Roy, awake now that he had finished his coffee, went to get a new cup and sat down in front of Jason. 

\- What did you think of our new neighbours? 

Jason finished putting back together his gun, and wiped his hands clean on the cloth he kept handy. 

\- Not much, except they're having fun hanging paintings on the wall at 9pm.  
\- I like them, they seem nice when they don't try to destroy the load-bearing wall of their apartment. In addition, I saw in the door gap that they had centered their decoration around the colours blue, grey, black and white. It's pretty cool, I think. It's quiet.  
\- If you say so.... 

The redhead hid his smile in his cup and answered nothing, while his friend grabbed his second gun and started taking it apart to clean it. 

When the early afternoon arrived, there was still a very calm atmosphere in the two heroes' apartments. Jason had finished cleaning his guns and sat on the couch to read while Roy went out for a couple of errands. Jason, as it were, only raised his eyes from the book he was focused on, when he heard footsteps on the stairs leading to his floor of the building. The steps were rushed and one of the people seemed out of breath. Jason stood up and grabbed his gun, approaching the front door. He stuck his ear against the wall right next to the door and tried to discern what was happening, and if what was happening was a potential threat.  
His steps stopped in front of their neighbours' door and he heard one of the two young women fall, as if her legs were no longer supporting her.  
He was about to open the door when the words of the young woman who had opened the door to them the night before reached him. 

\- It's okay, breathe in, breathe out, and count in the wrong order, focus on the numbers, okay? Repeat after me: 6, 25, 13, 42, 3, 7.....  
\- I can't!!! I can't!!! (Y/N)!!!  
\- Shhh, it's okay, we're outside the apartment door, we're home. You're gonna get back in control and you're gonna get over it. We've already done it, we'll do it again. We'll go home, I'll make some tea, and we'll sit on the couch with a blanket. All right? It may have been a little early to go to such a populated place, but at least you made it home, right? 

The young woman who seemed to be in a panic attack started crying with big tears and for a moment all we heard was her sobbs in the hallway.  
Jason leaned against the door of his apartment and listened, his gun still in his hand. He had a slight pinch in his heart for this young woman who he knew, had trouble regaining control over a crisis that seemed insurmountable. Panic attacks tend to make you feel helpless and weak, Jason had had the opportunity to experience them many times himself.  
After a few minutes, the young woman crying, whispered words to her friend that Jason couldn't hear, she was talking too low and her words were interspersed with tears.

\- Hey, hey, breathe. They can't hurt you anymore.

Jason closed his eyes, and sighed. He broke away from the wall when he heard the keys turning and his neighbours returning home after a while.  
Gotham was his home, despite the horrors and violence that reigned there, he loved this city. Unfortunately, at times like this, no matter how much he loved this city, he also wanted to see it collapse on itself and become an uninhabitable desert. Gotham was his home, but it was also the home of much suffering and misfortune. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

When Roy came home from the supermarket, he found Jason sitting on the couch reading, his gun next to him. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing and put away the groceries. 

\- Anything interesting happen while I was gone? 

Jason looked up from his book and looked at his friend. 

\- Nothing special, no. Did you find what I asked you for?  
\- Yes, but it was complicated to find. I'm not even sure this thing is legal in the US.  
\- It's cheese... It’s called Morbier. Why would it be forbidden?  
\- Uh, maybe because it's literally mold? 

Jason rolled his eyes and sighed. 

\- It's not mold, it's ash, and it's good.  
\- Ashes? Ashes? Seriously? Ashes in cheese? 

Roy looked at the piece of wrapped cheese he was holding in his hand with a dazed look. 

\- I'd never understand the French. 

He finished putting everything away and sat next to his friend on the couch and turned on the television. 

\- So, how is tonight going? Where and above all, are we going to have a visit from one of your siblings or your dear and tender father?  
\- Tonight we're going to the docks for a change. 

Jason set up his bookmark, closed his book and put it on the ground next to the sofa. 

\- If it goes the way it’s supposed to go, it should be quiet, the others are busy with something else, apparently Talia has decided to visit the demon who is her son, so they are a little tense and on the lookout, they will leave us alone.  
\- Cool!! It should be fine then. We can get pizzas when we get home, it should be quick and easy night.  
\- Quick I don't know, Black Mask is still cautious, and recently we stopped him a lot in his little business, he may have increased his security for the new arrival, so I don’t expect to have the matter settled in less than a few hours. As for pizzas...... You just went shopping. We have food to eat already. There is literally no need for pizzas. 

Roy crossed his arms and sulked. 

\- I want to eat pizza.  
\- Roy, don't start.... 

They spent an hour in peace and quiet watching a bad movie rerun that occupies the afternoon TV gates. Around 4:30pm, Roy, overwhelmed by the lameness of the movie, finally turned off the television and got up to start preparing for their patrol. Not seeing his friend get up, he stretched himself, yawning and threw a book that was lying around at him.

\- You can't just sit there all day. We have work to do.  
\- Yeah, I know... Just give me a minute

Jason hoisted himself out of the couch after a moment and headed to his room to get ready. He came out two hours later, showered, dressed and armed from head to toe, with only his helmet to put on. Roy was already in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand. 

\- By dint of slipping from cup to cup, you'll end up turning into Tim.  
\- And what's wrong with that?  
\- You're going to attract Damian when he is out for revenge. 

Roy laughed in his coffee and put his cup on the counter. He put on his mask and glanced at Jason who was finishing checking the final details of their mission for the evening. 

\- Are we good to go?  
\- We're good. We're good. Finish your damn cup of coffee and let's go. We shouldn't keep Black Mask waiting. 

Roy smiled and finished what he used to call his "wake-up concentrate". He waited for a moment for his friend to put on his helmet and both went to the window. In a moment, the apartment was empty for the evening. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

On the docks, the wait was long. Jason and Roy had gone there before the henchmen arrived so that they could settle in and monitor the operations without risk of being spotted. After what seemed like an eternity for Roy, the first henchmen arrived and began to deal with the imminent arrival of the expected load. Roy took care of the photos, while Jason decided to take a quick tour of the area to see the extent of the operation, as well as if there was any reinforcements that Black Mask might have deployed.  
An hour after the arrival of the henchmen, the night had fallen and the load, according to the information relayed and intercepted by Roy, would be arriving within minutes. Jason joined his friend, and put himself back in a waiting position. 

\- So, how's it looking?  
\- Black Mask has indeed requested reinforcements on this operation. We're going to have a hard time, but at least we won't be bored.  
\- Aren't we going to end up in a sieve?  
\- Since when do you ask the question?  
\- Jason I love you, you're my best friend in this world but I'm not a living middle finger to death like you. I still have a few more years to live, just until Lian becomes a teenager and I can embarrass her in public with lamentable jokes and outdated musical tastes. 

The mental image invoked by Roy's words, tore a smile from Jason. For a moment he considered calling Dick to help, if only for his friend, but he eventually gave it up for now. He preferred to see how they were doing first before he told his brother. His attention was drawn to a movement below, where the men in black were beginning to gather. An ordinary cargo ship arrived at the quayside and with it the long-awaited goods for Sionis.  
Roy and him exchanged a look, and silently moved from their hideout. They went down separately, preparing to take the smugglers in pliers. They only attacked when the cargo was docked, and the movements to transport the shipment in the unmarked refrigeration truck were being made. 

\- I'm too sober for this.  
\- Shut up and shoot Red!!!!! There are too many of them!!!  
\- Maybe I didn't notice! On your right! On your right! I take the fools who try to lose us on the docks, you follow the two smart guys who finished loading the goods into the truck during the attack and left with it.  
\- All alone?????  
\- It's a refrigerated truck, not the batmobile!  
\- I wasn't talking about me, you idiot!

Roy screamed in frustration and went after the refrigeration truck, leaving Jason to take care of the men left on the docks. After a chase between the containers, several blows of fire and especially a good ten hand-to-hand fighting, Jason had finished with the little henchmen who had not managed to escape. He looked at the bodies around him, and grinned, Bruce was going to go full unhappy dad on his ass again because of it. He sighed and took off his helmet, revealing the domino he was keeping underneath. 

\- Roy? It’s over here, where are you ? 

Jason's question remained unanswered. He tried again to contact his colleague again without success. He gathered the bodies in a corner of the dock, and headed in the direction the truck had taken when it fled. 

\- Roy? How are you doing? Any answer for Jason? 

The question remained unanswered once again, and Red hood continued to follow the path that the truck had potentially taken. He stood on top of the buildings to get a wider view of the city and tried to guess with the information he had on the storage sites of Black Mask, where the truck had gone and with it, his friend. 

\- Roy, I swear to God, if you don't answer in a minute, I'll feed you to Damian. 

Jason was starting to feel the panic rising. He would not forgive himself for putting Roy in danger knowing that he could have called one of the batkids to the rescue, and if he had to choose, he would have preferred to see his ego damaged than his friend dead or seriously injured.  
As he was heading east towards one of Sionis' last gathering places, Jason's communicator sizzled and after a few seconds, a feeling of relief overwhelmed him. 

\- Damian? I'm against it, but I still want my pizza!  
\- Roy, I swear I'll kill you.  
\- Yeah right, and I'm Santa Claus! Get your ass over here, I'm already at the pizzeria, the one two blocks from the apartment.  
\- What about the loading?  
\- Intercepted, the two drivers arrested and restrained, and Gordon is on the scene. We're good.  
\- I'm on my way. Don't ever do that to me again.  
\- I'll see you right away Zombie Boy. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

The two vigilantes went home after buying the pizzas that Roy had finally convinced Jason to eat. Finally, he had been confronted with a fait accompli rather than a convincing argument, but the result was that and the two friends found themselves in the sofa at home, eating pizza in front of an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. 

\- Question...... Since you were dead, and your "body" was buried, could I give you the nickname Mole man?  
\- Don't even think about it, Roy..... 

Roy sighed and took a sip of his drink. 

\- Too bad the Lazarus Pit didn't bring your sense of humor back to life. 

In revenge Jason threw an olive at Roy who slipped off the couch to avoid him. They exchanged a smiles and finished their pizza by comparing Titus' diva tantrums with those of some of their hero friends. 

They had fallen asleep in the sofa when the sun began to rise, and he and Roy, not particularly keen to get up so early, dragged themselves to their respective rooms to get a few hours of extra sleep.  
It was around 10am that they got up, more out of obligation than out of real desire. If they wanted to enjoy their day for a while, they had to. After making a cup of coffee for Roy and a cup of tea for himself, Jason sat at the dining table and began to check his weapons. While he was taking care of it, Roy got up and grabbed the still smoking cup of coffee from the counter and joined his colleague. He observed him for a moment and slumped into the chair. 

\- Do you think we'll hear from your family after last night's operation?  
\- There's a good chance. We weren’t very discreet and Bruce is not the type to leave me alone.  
\- A lot of deaths?  
\- A few of them. The rest is just injured and is certainly in the hands of the police. I had contacted the GCPD before leaving to see if you were still alive, since you were not answering.  
\- I was busy and the reception was bad.  
-In any case, Black Mask has one shipment less and that's what counts.  
\- That and the fact that we're still whole. And the fact that he will most certainly be furious and that it will take him a little while to do it again. 

A slight moment of silence settled in before Roy resumed. 

\- You really have a problem with Sionis. What did he do to you that you didn't like him that much?  
\- Nothing that concerns you at the moment, Roy. Leave my post-Lazarus Pit mistakes alone.  
\- Tss... kill joy. 

The two men spent the morning reviewing their equipment. With that done they cleared the table and started to prepare a nice meal for lunch. They continued to discuss the mission from the night before while eating until they were interrupted by a call on Jason's phone. 

\- Todd.  
\- Jason. Any explanation on what happened on the docks yesterday?  
\- Hello Dickie, I didn't think you'd be the one to call. I was expecting father dearest.  
\- He's furious and locked himself in the batcave. He's been in a foul mood since Gordon told him what they found on the docks and in the refrigerated truck found downtown.  
\- Excuse me for doing my job.  
\- There are six dead Jason.  
\- And? 

Even without the speaker, Roy could hear Dick sighing. 

\- Jason, please, I know you won't do it for me or for the others, but if only for Alfred, who is in the front line of Bruce's moods, keep a low profile for the next few days. I don't want to have to chase after him to stop him from kicking your ass like last time. I don't want to be a nurse like last time.

Jason did not answer his brother's prayer and hung up. He put his phone aside and ignored it when it started vibrating again. 

\- Dick's trying to be the voice of reason?  
\- He better mind his own business and Bruce should stop being a vindicated father.  
\- What do we do now?  
\- Instinctively... I'll tell you that I'll say fuck to Bruce and go on patrol tonight as usual. I'll check the docks and then I'll go into town. You?  
\- I'm not going out tonight, I'm going to get Lian, she's spending the evening with me. She's going to spend some time here too. She's on vacation and she wants to see her uncle Jay. You wouldn't deny her that, would you? 

Jason smiled and shook his head. 

\- With a father like you and an uncle like me, I’m worried about your daughter.  
\- Hey!!! My daughter is smart! She knows not to listen to me and not to take you as a role model! 

The meal was finished in a good mood and when they finished washing the dishes and tidying everything up, the doorbell rang.  
Roy walked to the door ignoring Jason's comment that if it was one of his family members, except Cassandra, he could ignore them and slam the door in their face. 

\- Oh hello (Y/N), can I help you? 

Jason looked up and joined Roy at the door. 

\- Hello Roy, hello Jason. Lily my roommate you saw the other night, and I wanted to bring you a present. As we are now neighbours, we thought that first it would allow us to apologize for the noise we made last time, and second, to introduce ourselves properly. 

Jason frowned and stood beside Roy with his arms crossed. The Redhead smiled with a big smile and took the plate of cookies that the young woman was handing him. 

\- Oh, thank you, that's very sweet. Don't worry about the noise, you had to finish settling in.  
\- All the same, though. It's true that we didn't think about the time, I'm really sorry.  
\- AhAhh no problem. We accept the peace offer with pleasure. 

Jason frowned at Roy's words and stared at his neighbour until she began to feel uncomfortable. 

\- In short, I wanted to offer you this from Lily and myself in the hope that over time we can all become friends.  
\- I'm not here to make friends.

(Y/N) turned his gaze to Jason with an astonished look and before Roy could catch up with his friend's unpleasant remark, he slammed the door in the young girl's face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everybody ! 
> 
> I did not expect to have so many people reading this fic. It is amazing and motivating :) 
> 
> The first chapter was ... a start I guess. This time I improved myself (I think), and hope that you will enjoy chapter 2. 
> 
> See you later :)

Roy spent the major part of the afternoon ignoring Jason and preparing for his daughter's arrival. He did not touch the cookies given by their neighbour and left them prominently on the kitchen counter, just to leave them under the nose of his friend whose behaviour, although not surprising, had upset him.  
There were other ways to let people know that he didn't want to make friends. Especially since his behaviour towards the young woman on the evening of their first meeting had been very different.  
After finishing packing his things, changing his sheets and storing his weapons so that Lian would not have access to them, he left his room, his dirty sheets in his arms and went to put them in the washing machine, in the kitchen next to the refrigerator.  
Jason, sitting on the couch reading, didn't even look up when his friend entered the room. 

\- I don't know if you know this, but there are ways of saying things. I know you and your family like to throw insanities in each others faces, but this is a young woman who hasn't asked anyone for anything but good relations with her neighbours. And besides, she made cookies. You could have at least said thank you. 

Jason replied nothing, and continued reading his book, despite the fact that he had not turned the page he had been reading for about ten minutes. Roy sighed and started a wash cycle. He stood for a moment in the kitchen, then finally tidied up what little remained to be tidied up in the apartment. He grabbed the bag from the garbage can and closed it.

\- I'm taking down the trash. I'll pick up Lian in an hour, an hour and a half. 

Still without an answer from Jason, Roy left the apartment and did what he had to do. He stopped in the lobby of the building and chose to take a short break before returning home. He walked to the door next to the janitor's room and found himself in the inner courtyard of the building. He reached the garden table placed there, and sat on one of the white plastic chairs that completed the garden set. With a resigned sigh, he took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his jeans pocket. He placed the lit cigarette between his lips and closed his eyes.  
He knew very well that Jason did not have a very developed social fibre but from there to behave like the worst of the ghouls... Their neighbour did nothing to call for this kind of hostility. Nothing for the moment at least. Roy pulled his cigarette and started playing with the cardboard from his cigarette pack. He was thinking about how to make up for it with the young woman. The truth was that he liked her. She seemed nice and smiling. They had so many sad, depressed people, not to mention those who had left them forever, that a smiling face and no backward thoughts felt good. She was like a balm to the heart.  
With a frustrated growl, Roy crushed the filter of his cigarette against the foot of the chair he was sitting on, and stayed there for a moment.  
Tonight he was picking up Lian after several weeks in boarding school. He was anxious to see his little princess, he just didn't want his friend's bad mood to ruin everything. With any luck during tonight's patrol, Jason would come across one of his brothers or one of their usual enemies and be able to unwind. At least he wouldn't be so grumpy when he got home.  
The redhead got up and went back into the building. Taking a look at the elevators, he finally turned for the stairs. A little exercise wouldn't hurt him. He went back to his floor and entered the apartment. Jason was no longer on the couch and his book was on the armrest.  
Roy took a look at the room and, unable to find anything to do, slumped down on the couch and turned on the television. He looked for something to watch and finally launched the streaming program they had subscribed to a few months ago. He chose a series at random and settled comfortably. Thirty minutes later, Jason came out of his room, fully dressed in Red Hood's outfit and made himself a cup of tea. 

\- Are you going to get Lian? 

Roy took his eyes off the TV and turned to his roommate who was leaning against the bar, with a cup of tea in his hand. 

\- I'm leaving in a few minutes. I'll pick her up at the station. 

Jason looked down at his cup but didn't answer. He took a sip of his tea, put the cup next to the sink and grabbed his helmet. 

\- I'm going. I'll see you later. 

Roy watched Red Hood leave the apartment through the window and disappear. It was not yet dark, It was barely dusk, and Roy still had to pick up Lian. He turned off the television, and went to change his clothes. Once presentable, he grabbed his cap, put it on his head and left the apartment, checking that his wallet was in his jeans back pocket.

When Jason came back from patrol, he found Roy in the kitchen cleaning dishes. He took off his helmet and went to his room to take a shower and change. When he returned to the main room, Roy had finished and took a plate of spaghetti bolognese out of the fridge, warmed it up and put it on the dining table. 

\- Dinner is served if you're hungry. Lian's special recipe.  
\- Has she left yet? I thought she was supposed to stay here for a few days.  
\- No, she's still here, she's just at our neighbours'. We ate the cookies for dessert. She kept a few of them for you. 

Jason stopped, his mouth full. He swallowed and looked at his friend with a surprised look. 

\- To the neighbours? Why? Why?  
\- She wanted to bring them their plates back. And considering your last exchange with (Y/N) I thought it would indeed be wiser to send Lian.  
\- (Y/N)? 

Roy rolled his eyes. 

\- The neighbour. (Y/N) is the neighbour's first name. You literally slammed the door in her face. 

Jason growled and finished his meal. He took his plate and cutlery and brought them to the sink to clean them. Roy took them from his hands and chased him away, arguing that he had already started washing the dishes and that he could take care of this as well.  
Jason was on his way to the couch when the apartment doorbell rang. He walked towards the door, looked through the peephole, and when he saw nothing, opened the door.

\- I need a place to stay.

He looked down and saw Lian, standing in front of him, looking very serious despite the malicious gleam in her eyes. Jason wore a big smile and knelt down to hug the little girl. 

\- I missed you, Uncle Jay.  
\- I missed you too, Lian. 

He brought his niece into the apartment and she went to her father immediately, holding him in a hug at waist level. The top of her head was not yet at the level of his father's torso. 

\- How did it go with the neighbours princess?  
\- Very well. They are very kind. (Y/N) told me she'd give me cookies again if I wanted. They were really good. Did you eat yours, Uncle Jay? 

Jason had returned to the couch and grabbed the book he was reading before going on patrol. 

\- No. You can have mine if you want. 

Lian was going to ask a question but Roy stopped him at the last minute by shaking his head. The little girl made a grimace and dragged her father by the hand to the couch so that they could join Jason there. 

\- Uncle Jay, you're home early, aren't you? Have you seen any people? 

Jason put his book on his side while Roy turned on the television to launch his daughter's favorite Tv show. 

\- Except Tim and Damian, I didn't see anyone. They weren’t very happy and I left before the others arrived.  
\- Have you done something stupid again?  
\- No. They're just a little too much trouble sometimes. I didn't want to stay and hear them bitch. 

Lian seemed to think about what his uncle had said and did not seem to come to a suitable conclusion. She shrugged her shoulders and threw herself into Jason's arms giggling. 

\- You're stubborn, but I still love you. 

Jason gave Roy a dark look as he began to giggle. 

\- By the way, since (Y/N) and Lily are nice, I invited them to dinner with us tomorrow night. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Jason wanted to send his alarm clock against the wall as soon as it rang. He growled and rolled in his bed to get on his back and stared at the ceiling. He thought for a moment about what had happened the night before. Lian had arrived, and he was really happy to see Roy's daughter. The little brown head, barely 10 years old, was full of life, and a little too smart for them to fool her like when she was still a baby. Roy must have had to talk to her about their new neighbours , there is no way she could have decided by herself to go to see them and giving them back their plates, if he did not mention them to Lian. And in the end he found himself having to be nice to perfect strangers who were also going to crash at their house for dinner.  
He rolled his eyes and sat in his bed, his back against the wall by his pillows. Jason put his hands on his face to chase away the last traces of residual sleep and sighed. She was really like her father. Too kind for her own good.  
Jason glanced at the window which he had forgotten to close the shutters and pulled himself out of bed. He dragged himself into the kitchen in his jogging suit and made a detour to the couch to wake Roy who was sleeping there.  
He then went to the kettle to make himself a cup of tea and started the coffee maker for Roy. 

\- I forgot how uncomfortable this couch was. Why don't we change it already?  
\- Because a new couch is expensive and you're supposed to save what little money you have? 

Roy moaned and stood up, folding the blanket he had used during the night and placed it on the armrest. 

\- Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee! If I hadn't had a comfortable night, I will have some comfort with my cup of coffee.  
\- Tim get out of this body. 

Roy grinned and poured himself a cup of his favourite "wake-up concentrate". 

\- Do you have any plans with Lian today?  
\- Not especially, she wanted to go for a walk in the city and go to the park. Other than that, nothing special. Do you want to come with us? 

Jason shrugged his shoulders. 

\- Why not. However, I have to go to the library. I have books to return and others to borrow. We could get some for Lian if she's interested.  
\- Lian is interested!!!

They turned their heads towards the door that opened onto Roy's room, and saw Lian in her pajamas in the door frame. With a still sleepy smile, she approached her father and hugged him. She then went to Jason for the same treatment. 

\- Are we going to the library? 

Roy smiled and opened the refrigerator to get what he needed to prepare his daughter's breakfast, poured her an orange juice and put it on the dining table, while Jason started making toast. 

\- We'll go to the library and if you want, then we can go to the park. We'll walk a little and we can either play or sit and read a little in the park. What do you think of that? 

Lian, who was drinking, nodded her head, her eyes shining with joy. Jason could not help but smile and when he finished making his niece's toast, brought it to him on a plate with butter and jam. 

\- For lunch we can go to the dinner where we had the speculos ice cream ?  
\- It'll depend on where we're at that time, but yeah, it could be fun. Jason?  
\- That's fine with me. 

Lian shouted with joy, his arms in the air. She then remembered that she had toast to eat and threw herself on it. 

After breakfast, everyone prepared to go out. Lian wore one of her favorite dresses, while Roy wore jeans, a grey t-shirt, a black cloth jacket with red fabric elbow yokes, and a pair of grey basketball shoes. Jason, on the other hand, came out of his room wearing a cap, a white t-shirt, a brown leather jacket rolled up his sleeves, black jeans and a pair of black basketball shoes. He grabbed a pair of sunglasses and put them on, adjusting the backpack he was wearing on his right shoulder, before turning to Lian.

\- How do you find me?  
\- Scary ... and weird.  
\- Yeah, well, it'll be scary and weird, I guess. 

They came out of the apartment, Lian leading and laughing at Jason's discombobulated expression. They began with the Gotham library. Jason returned the previously borrowed books and went for a look in the shelves. He let Roy leaf through magazines while he watched his daughter in the children's literature section.  
After several moments of hesitation, and many round trips in the different categories proposed by the library, Jason made his choice and presented himself to the librarian with in hand the first volume of Alexandre Dumas' The Viscount of Bragelonne, Jean-François Parot's The Châtelet Apprentice and Laclos' Les liaisons dangereuses. Lian quickly joined him with a selection of comic strips depicting a small character with a blond moustache and a winged Roman helmet, as well as his big companion wearing a menhir.  
The borrowed books were properly stored in Jason's backpack, and all three set off for the nearby park. They settled near a picnic area under a tree. Roy and Lian started reading one of the comics together while Jason took one of the books he had chosen out of his bag. He had not read the first two pages when a familiar voice called out to him. 

\- Oh, my God. Jason out in the middle of the day. I never thought it would be possible. 

Jason growled and closed his book. Roy and Lian looked up to see who their impromptu visitor was, but preferred to dive back into the little girl's book when they realized who it was. 

\- What do you want, Dick? 

Jason's older brother was standing in front of him as he was leaning against the tree. The older one squats down to stand up to his brother and smiles at him. 

\- Just to know how you are. I didn't get a chance to see you last night. You were already gone when I joined Tim and Damian.  
\- I already had my fill of useless reproaches last night, so don't bother to start again.  
\- Bruce is still angry with you. He would really like you to listen to him for once and raise your finger off the trigger. You know... just so you don't kill people. For once.  
\- Bruce can go fuck himself. Last night was an exception. I followed his rules for several months and the man was not happy, blaming me for being too violent. I'm tired of having to obey him all the time and at the end still being blamed because I'm not good enough for him.  
\- Jason, you know very well that...  
\- No! That's enough! 

Jason got up and stuffed his book in his backpack. 

\- I was never good enough for Bruce, and I never would be. Anyone of you who leaves a criminal with a head injury he congratulates, I do the same thing and immediately I am qualified as a danger to society. Nothing in Bruce's speech about me is positive. He criticizes and threatens but never takes my side. Never! Never! 

He slid the strap of his backpack over his shoulder and put his cap back on. 

\- I'm going home. Lian, Roy, I'll see you later. Dick, you can go to hell with Bruce if you like but don't come to plead his case anymore or ask me to change because I will not. 

With these words Jason left for home, leaving his friends and brother in the park. He was fulminating and needed a change of scenery before either throwing himself at Dick to beat him up or even worse, say something he would immediately regret in front of Lian.  
Dick, turned to Roy and his daughter looking sorry. Lian closed the comic book she was reading and watched Dick pouting. 

\- Well, that's tragic.

The little girl's reflection wrung a laugh from the eldest of the Wayne children. 

\- Yeah, you could say that. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Several hours had passed since Jason left his friends and his brother behind. At first, he had the idea of going straight back to the apartment, locking himself in his room and let his anger go with a book or a few well placed blows in the wall.  
Not to mention, the rare sunny day in Gotham, encouraged him to extend his stroll. He walked the in city for an hour or two, then stopped at a coffee shop, ordered a lemonade and pulled out the book he had started when Dick had interrupted him. He would not admit it to anyone, not even under torture, but at that moment, sitting on the terrace, with a book in his hand, and a cold drink at hand, he felt good. He wasn't Jason Todd the incapable son, or Red Hood the vigilant from Gotham. He was just him. Jason. And for the first time in a very long time he was, even for a moment, genuinely happy. 

The waitress came to replace the empty lemonade glass with a fresh one, and Jason finally looked at the time. He gave himself another half an hour to enjoy the place and would go home after stopping to do extra shopping for the planned meal with their neighbours that same evening. Lian was everything you could think of, but she certainly wasn't mean. And if seeing the neighbours would please her, he would make the effort not to be too mean. He would try. For Lian.  
Jason pinched his nose bridge and sighed. He put away his book, and seized his cell phone. Apart from Dick's three missed calls, Cassandra's text message only composed of a series of angry devil emoticons, he had received a picture and a video of Roy. The video was shot in the park, on the playground. Roy and Lian were swinging, Lian on his father's lap laughing with joy, her hair in the wind. In the picture, received a little later, they were at their favorite dinner, Lian obviously enjoying the speculos ice cream she had talked about at breakfast. The picture put a smile on Jason's face, and he regretted getting carried away and leaving. He finished his lemonade, paid what he owed, and left a tip for the waitress. He wanted to take the bus to reach the district where he lived but changed his mind and walked the way back. When he arrived two blocks from home, he stopped at the nearest supermarket and bought enough to make a good meal for everyone and even a little more to make a dessert. Lian loved cakes, so he might as well make her one. He went home with the groceries and put them away. He went to change to be more comfortable and took his book back, sat on the couch and waited for the other two to come home.  
Jason had fallen asleep on the couch when Roy and Lian came home. She rushed to her uncle and woke him up with a start. He embraced her with a smile as he recognized her. 

\- How was your day, princess?  
\- Great!! I was a little sad that you didn't stay with us though.  
\- I'm sorry. I wouldn't have been a very good company.  
\- Did you have a fight with Dick?  
\- You could say that, yes. I understand you got the ice cream you wanted?  
\- Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. 

She embarked on a complicated explanation of their lunch while Roy put away his things and went to change. Lian was explaining to her uncle how speculos ice cream was superior to vanilla ice cream when Roy returned to the main room and sat on the couch with them. 

\- Lian, maybe it's time to go take a shower. Uncle Jay and I are going to start making food. The neighbours will be here soon. If you want to be there when they arrive, you better go now. 

The little girl didn't had to have it said twice, and jumped out of Jason's arms to rush into the shower. With a laugh Jason got up and went into the kitchen and started taking out the ingredients he needed to prepare dinner.  
Roy joined him and stayed on the other side of the bar, letting him sail in the kitchen as he pleased. 

\- Have you heard from Dick since you met him in the park?  
\- No. He tried to call me but I ignored him as best as I could.  
\- Bruce is not happy and he sends your big brother to test the field? 

Jason had taken out the turkey fillets he had bought and started cutting them into small pieces. He put them aside in a bowl and cut several tomatoes into pieces in a second bowl. 

\- Bruce is a jerk who always finds something to complain about, and Dick tries to make things change by questioning me without questioning father dearest's flaws.  
\- Bruce is not known to question himself. Do you remember the time he got into a fight with Superman for three months because he refused to acknowledge that Clark was right not to listen to him?  
\- I especially remember that he gave us a hard time. He had been irascible as much as possible and didn't let anything happen. He even threatened to send Damian back to Talia. 

Roy shook his head with a sorry look on his face as Jason continued to prepare the meal. He grabbed a frying pan and browned sliced onions with a drizzle of olive oil. Once the onions had started to caramelize, he added the meat cut into small pieces and browned them with the onions, stirring them gently from time to time. 

\- Your brother has no bad intentions. He's just trying to bring things back to normal. Dick was never very good with conflicts.  
\- Dick is a very good conflict manager. Usually, he manages them with an escrima. 

Roy giggled at this last remark as Jason began to cook the rice to accompany the main course of the evening. When the meat was seized, he added the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste infused with onions to the pan, then simmered it for a few minutes.  
Lian came back at that time, washed, styled and dressed in a pretty pale blue dress with ruffles. She climbed on a bar stool next to her father and watched her uncle cook. 

\- Are you going to make a cake too Uncle Jay?  
\- Of course I'm going to make a cake, princess. 

The little girl jumped on her chair, very happy with her uncle answer. 

\- What are you gonna do ?  
\- Hm...... I had thought about making a strawberry cake but I didn't find any nice ones, so finally I'm going to make a chocolate cake, all soft , they way you like it. 

Lian let out a scream of joy and jumped off the stool to hug Jason, who had taken the mascarpone out of the fridge and was about to put a spoonful in the pan with the meat and tomato sauce.  
Delighted as never before, Lian broke away from her uncle and joined her father with whom she discussed the day they had just spent together.  
Jason listened to them talk while he continued to cook. Once the mascarpone was mixed with the tomato sauce, he added the rice and mixed it all together. He transferred everything from the pan to a plate, covered it with foil and placed it in the oven at a moderate temperature to keep it warm.  
He cleaned the pan and spatula he had used and then put them away. He took out what he needed to make his chocolate cake and immediately attracted Lian's interest. 

\- Can I help you make the cake?  
\- Hm...... I don't need any help baking the cake sweetheart, but I would like you and your father to set the table. It's almost time and our guests will be here soon, and I still have to change. 

Roy helped his daughter to get off the stool properly and handed her the plates, while he was taking care of the glasses and cutlery. Jason prepared the dough for the chocolate cake, poured it into the silicone mold, and put it in the microwave for 5 minutes.  
The microwave had just finished ringing when the table was set. He took out the cake, transfered it on a plate and put a cloth on it. 

\- All right, I'll be back, I’m going to change. 

Jason was barely dressed when the doorbell rang at the front door of the apartment. He came out of his room and saw Lian opening the door for their guests. Lily entered first with a plate of cookies in her hands, a plate that Lian grabbed with greed. (Y/N) came in and greeted Roy despite the fact that she felt a little uncomfortable. She looked away quickly when she saw Jason. 

\- Welcome to our home. You've already met Lian my daughter.  
\- Yes, she explained that she was on vacation and that she was coming to visit you. 

The two young women didn't seem very comfortable and to try to relax the atmosphere, Roy suggested that everyone sit down at the table and have a drink to start.  
Lian placed herself between her father and (Y/N), Lily was on the right of her friend, and Jason found himself on Roy's left and therefore next to (Y/N)’s roomate.  
The redhead's daughter poured herself a glass of orange juice while Roy poured a whiskey and coke to (Y/N), a martini to Lily and Jason poured himself a glass of vodka.  
The discussion between Roy, his daughter and their two guests was in full swing, Jason, on the other hand, remained in the background. For obvious reasons, he did not give his confidence quickly and not to anyone, and having the two young women over for dinner made him uncomfortable. First, he did not know them and had not taken the time to find out anything about them. Second, he didn't want to make new friends. Roy was more than enough and their new neighbour (Y/N) was highly annoying. She tried to include him in the discussion despite the fact that he didn't wanted to, her laughter was far too loud, and her dress far too close to her body for a dinner with her neighbours.  
When the glasses were almost empty, he held everyone back, crossed his arms and addressed Roy when (Y/N) said thank you with a smile.  
The young woman hid her tension behind a new smile, and continued as if nothing had happened. The empty glasses for the second time marked the time to move on to the meal. Jason went to get the dish he had kept warm, and served everyone. Discussions continued throughout the meal and during dessert. Lian after swallowing two pieces of chocolate cake and seven cookies, dragged herself to the couch and fell into a food coma. Roy was in the middle of a discussion with Lily and (Y/N) when (Y/N) turned to Jason. 

\- You're seriously like a man-child.  
\- What? 

Jason, surprised, and caught off guard, didn't know how to respond.

\- You heard very well. You spent the evening sulking, ignoring everybody and silently moaning in your corner, despite the obvious desire to participate.  
\- What makes you think I wanted to be part of this exactly? If Lian hadn't invited you, you would never have seen the interior of that apartment. 

(Y/N) gave a short laugh. 

\- Acting tough doesn't work with me darling. Everything in your posture indicates that you don't want to get involved in the conversation, but you are interested. Your arms are crossed, but you're leaning towards us. You sulk too.

Jason crossed his arms and sank into his chair. 

\- I don't sulk. 

(Y/N) raised an eyebrow and held back a laugh. 

\- If you were not interested in the evening you would have tried to shorten it as much as possible and kick us out sooner. You served us a second glass as an aperitif, reserved the main course several times,Do I even have to mention the dessert ? 

This time she let a smile appear on her lips and crossed her hands under her chin. Jason frowned. 

\- Did it ever occur to you that although I don't want you here at home, I didn't want to set a bad example for my niece either? 

(Y/N) pouted, not in the least convinced by Jason's argument. 

\- Nope. I think you're just not used to having strangers around, and you're so used to being alone that you feel threatened when people want to know you a little better and your social skills aren't very extensive. But maybe it's the whiskey from earlier that's talking. 

Jason did not take note of his guest's last remark and plunged into his thoughts until the end of the evening. When they returned home, Jason began to wash the dishes as Roy carried his daughter to his room to put her to bed. Once Lian was lying down, the redhead went back into the kitchen to help his friend finish cleaning and tidying up. 

\- They're pretty nice, I think. And (Y/N) scored a point by calling you a man-child.  
\- Shut up Roy.  
\- It's not my fault. You've been sulking all night. And (Y/N) is very pretty.  
\- If you say so. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

The next morning Roy was the first to wake up. He dragged himself to his room and watched his daughter sleep for a moment before slipping under the blankets and hugging her to wake her up. 

\- Wake up, princess. It's time to wake uuuuup.  
\- Noooooooooo... go away. I still want to sleep.  
\- If you want to be able to go for a walk, you have to get up.  
\- No. No. I'm going to stay here all day and this is my bed. I'm banning you from the room, you have no right to wake me up from now on.  
\- You can't banish me! This is my bed too!

Roy then decided to finish waking Lian by tickling her, which had the effect of making her squirm and scream with laughter under her father's fingers. He managed to get her out of bed and they sat in the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Roy got busy in the kitchen, while his daughter watched him do it, sitting on one of the bar stools. 

\- Uncle Jay was weird last night, wasn't he?  
\- What do you mean by that?  
\- I mean, he reacts like Damian reacts with Jon. He grumbles, and sulks and is aggressive when it is obvious that he likes (Y/N).  
\- I don't think he likes her. I think he's just irritable and doesn't like to meet new people. 

Lian welcomed the toast and glass of orange juice that her father had just placed in front of her. 

-I think he likes her. He was looking at her more than he was looking at Lily last night. And besides, if he really didn't like her, he wouldn't have answered her or would have answered her like he did with Dick when she accused him of behaving like a child.  
\- Did you hear that? 

Lian nodded and swallowed half a toast before answering. 

\- Hm, yes. And he stayed calm by answering her when he would have told Dick or anyone else who talked to him like that, to go to hell.  
\- Yeah. 

Their discussion was interrupted by Jason getting up. He joined them in the kitchen and prepared as usual a full cup of tea, before moving to the other side of the bar with his niece. 

\- What do you want to do today, Lian?  
\- I don't know. 

She wiped the jam that had fallen off her toast with her fingertips and sucked her finger for a moment before she started again. 

\- We could stay here and play board games.  
\- I don't think we have any board games here, princess.  
\- I have some in my suitcase. When we don't have homework in the evening at the boarding school, we play board games to pass the time. 

Roy smiled and picked up his daughter's empty plate and glass to clean them. 

\- We're gonna have to find a solution for tonight. Uncle Jay and I have work to do.  
\- Maybe I could go see Damian? Besides, I know Mr. Pennyworth always makes great cakes. 

She looked up at Jason with high hopes. 

\- Can I spend the night at your place? With Damian? 

Jason sighed as he passed his hand over his face. 

\- It might be complicated, princess. Did you see what happened yesterday with Dick? They're not very happy with me right now, I'd rather not give them a good excuse to get their hands on me.  
\- If I can't spend the evening with Damian, maybe I can come with you?  
\- NO!!! 

The two men had screamed at the same time and seemed terrified just to take the girl with them. 

\- Damian taught me how to defend myself. He even offered me...  
\- Offered what, Lian? 

Roy frowned and addressed his daughter with a suspicious look. 

\- What did Damian offer you? 

Lian bit her tongue and tried to look as innocent as possible. 

\- Nothing. Except for some good advice to defend myself.  
\- Jay... I'm gonna kill your little brother. 

Jason laughed. 

\- Good luck with that. Tim came before you, he still hasn't succeeded.  
\- I can't stay with Damian, I can't go with you... I know you're going to refuse a nanny, or to bring Dick here even if he'd agree to keep me. I see only one solution. And you're not going to like it.  
\- We can't stay at home, Lian, your father and I absolutely have to go out.  
\- I know you already said that. But (Y/N) and Lily are at home. Maybe I could stay with them. 

A silence fell on the kitchen. Roy gave Jason a look and tensed. 

\- No.  
\- Jay...  
\- We don't know them. We don't know what can happen.  
\- Jason, you don't want her to go to your family, you don't want your brother to come and look after her, we can't stay here... we don't have much else to do.  
\- We could ask Kory to come and watch Lian.  
\- The last time Kory kept my daughter, she took her for a ride on her back through Gotham's sky and almost poisoned her with what she had prepared for her to eat. I love Kory, but she's not used to taking care of a 10-year-old girl, especially when the girl in question convinces her that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a children's movie. 

Lian began to blush furiously. 

\- Yes, I know about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 

Jason sighed and growled again. He observed his niece and tried to weigh the pros and cons of leaving her at the mansion. Certainly Alfred never said no to Lian's presence, she was well behaved, kind and respectful with him. She even helped him with household chores if Alfred didn't distract her with a book in the library. Damian, despite all the accusations and insults in disguise, loved Lian very much. She had this habit of cheering him up and making him behave on a whim like the child he's supposed to be. The problem was that if Lian stayed at the mansion for the night, he would have to take her there and risk running into his family, and he wasn't ready to have to defend himself from everything he was with Bruce or the others again. He was a little tired of justifying himself all the time. On the other hand, he could ask Dick to come and watch Lian. He would certainly jump on the opportunity to lecture him, but at least Lian wouldn't be alone tonight, and he absolutely didn't want to leave his niece with the neighbours. He didn't know them and no one, no one is allowed to approach his niece without going through Jason's security measures. That's why Lian wouldn't have a boyfriend before she turned 21. He would personally see to it.  
Of the three solutions proposed, calling Dick to keep the little one was still the best solution. He swallowed a scream of rage and frustration, and turned to Roy. 

\- I'll call Dick and have him watch Lian. I don't want any comments and I reserve the right to punch him in the face if he makes the slightest comment. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

To Jason's surprise, Dick didn't make a fuss about coming to look after Lian. He was not on patrol that night, and he still preferred to keep the girl rather than sit in front of his TV doing nothing and getting bored. In any case, it was either that or still put on his Nightwing uniform and go watch Tim and Damian from afar.  
He arrived at the apartment Roy and Jason shared at the 8:30pm. After some instructions and a reminder of the rules to his daughter, Roy was ready. Lian rushed towards the two men before they left and hugged them one after the other before they left. She made them promise to behave and come back quickly, then the Red Hood and Arsenal disappeared out the window for the evening.  
Dick turned to the little girl who had leaned out through the window to try to watch her father until she could no longer see him. 

\- All right. What do you want to do? Maybe we could go get some food from the fast food next door, and come up here to eat all this in front of a cartoon. What do you think of that? 

The little girl detached herself with regret from the window and smiled at the one who was playing the nanny for tonight. 

\- It might be nice. I also have board games but we already played them with Dad and Uncle Jay. Besides, it's just the two of us, it might be boring.  
\- Don't worry, Lian, we'll find a solution, and I promise you won't be bored. We're gonna have a great time tonight. So great that your father and my little brother will regret going out. 

This statement from Dick gave Lian back her joy and she rushed to Roy's room to get her coat. She put on her brown boots and grabbed Dick's hand. 

\- Shall we go? 

Dick and his protégée left the apartment and went to the fast food restaurant three blocks away.  
When they arrived on the spot, they stood in line to order their evening meal. They were in the middle of a discussion to determine which of the proposed burgers they thought was the best, when Lian pulled on Dick's coat sleeve. 

\- Hey look!!! That's (Y/N) and Lily!!! 

She pointed to the bay window overlooking the street and rushed outside to see her father's neighbours passing in front of the fast food restaurant, in great discussion with each other. The two young women seemed delighted to see the little girl and greeted Dick warmly when Lian explained to them who he was and that he was babysitting her tonight.  
The two young women talked for a moment with Dick, then he invited them to join them for the evening. (Y/N) and lily refused at first, arguing that they had already planned something and above all that they did not want to interfere. Lian didn't want to know anything. She insisted, and eventually convinced everyone, including Dick. Looking victorious, Lian led them into the fast food restaurant and all ordered food.  
Back at the building, (Y/N) and Lily insisted that Dick and Lian come to their house. After all, the previous evening they had been invited by Jason and Roy and felt uncomfortable coming to their apartment while they were away. Dick did not make any difficulties, and asked just for a moment for him and the little girl, so that he could take off their coats, and leave a message for Roy to let them know where they were, if he and Jason ever returned before they were back home.  
Once the message was left on the kitchen counter, Dick followed Lian to the neighbours and everyone sat on the couch in front of the television. Lian grabbed the remote control and looked for a movie to watch on the streaming service. She was nibbling on a French fry with her lips when she found what she wanted to watch. Dick rolled his eyes with a smile when the Beauty and the Beast appeared on the screen. (Y/N) and Lily seemed delighted with the little girl's choice and all turned their attention to the film, occasionally making a remark about the events in the film, between two bites of hamburger or a fry or two.  
Two thirds of the film passed and the quatuor had eaten their meal, and only a few crumbs remained on the sofa cloth. (Y/N) leaned over her roommate and whispered a word in her ear. She stood back for a moment and looked at her with a surprised look. 

\- Did you have time?  
\- It only takes a few minutes and I had made some in advance. We have enough for everyone. 

Lian sitting between Dick and (Y/N) turned her head towards their host. 

\- Did you make cookies?  
\- No, Lian, I didn't make any more cookies. But, we have strawberry milkshake ready. 

The little girl's eyes began to shine, and (Y/N) could not hold back an amused laugh. She got off the couch and asked if everyone wanted milkshake. The general answer was a resounding yes, so she picked up the cardboard cups from the fast food restaurant, cleaned them, dried them, then filled them with milkshake. She took straws from the cupboard and slipped them into the cups, which she placed on a tray and brought near the sofa. She distributed the milkshakes, put the tray on the ground and moved back in between the little girl and her neighbour's brother, her own milkshake in hand. 

Around 3am, Roy and Jason returned. They were surprised not to find anyone in the apartment, and Jason immediately regretted calling his brother to babysit Lian. He was getting angry when Roy found the note Dick left on the kitchen counter. 

\- They're at (Y/N) and Lily's. Apparently, they met them at the fast food restaurant and invited them to eat at home. 

Jason loosened his fists but was no less angry with his brother. Why did he need to accept the invitation? Couldn't he have stayed quietly in the apartment with Lian? No, of course not. Not when two pretty young women invited him. 

\- I'm going to change and get Lian. Jason? 

Roy approached his friend and waved a hand in front of his face. 

\- Jay? This is Roy? Can you hear me? 

Jason made a gesture to move Roy's hand away from his face and growled. 

\- Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Give me five minutes, I’m going with you. 

Jason disinfected the few cuts he had received from one of the henchmen he had met tonight, changed into a hurry and joined Roy. They then headed for the front door to their neighbours' house and rang the bell. A loud burst of laughter sounded and they only heard unintelligible words, laughter, and giggles and had the distinct impression that their neighbours, Dick and Lian, were having a good time.  
Slightly annoyed at being ignored this way, Jason pressed the bell button again before Roy had a chance. This time the laughter stopped for a moment, and the scraping of a chair on the floor indicated that one of the people inside had heard them.  
(Y/N) opened the door for them, and her face lit up when she recognized them. 

\- Come on in! Come on in! We're finishing a party of Life. 

She moved to the side and let them into her house. When Lian saw her father, she abandoned her battle with Dick for a small blue pawn, and rushed to Roy to jump into his arms. 

\- Daddy!!! Look! Look!! (Y/N) have a lot of board games!!!  
\- I can see that. 

Roy looked at the pile of board games next to the table on which they were all sitting. He smiled and put back his daughter on her feet. 

Dick approached his brother, and put his arm around his shoulders. Jason became tense and glared at him.

\- I see you invited yourself to the neighbours' house.  
\- To be perfectly honest, we are the ones who invited them to come here. We met outside, and Dick invited us to join them. We preferred to invite them here to spend the evening. 

Lily agreed to her friend's explanation, and got up to greet their neighbours. 

\- Come on, jaybird, smile a little. Lian and I had a great time tonight, and your neighbours are adorable. (Y/N) is funny and smart and pretty. You should take some lessons. She knows how to make friends.

Jason emerged from his brother's embrace. 

\- I don't need lessons, Dick. 

He still looked at the girl who was hugging Lian to say goodbye. (Y/N) looked up and saw Jason looking at her. She smiled at him and brought her attention back to Roy who had come forward to her and Lily to thank her for welcoming his daughter and his roommate's brother for the evening. They exchanged a few words, then Dick greeted Lily and took (Y/N) in his arms to wish her a good evening. Lian who had returned to her uncle, stayed by the door and took him by the hand.

\- You know, you shouldn't sulk like that. Dick didn't want to impose. I was the one who insisted. I like them, they're nice. 

Jason shook his head as he sighed. 

\- Right now, I just want to punch him in the face. 

Lian looked in Dick's direction, who was still exchanging a few more words with (Y/N) before leaving.

\- Do you know how he gets popular with girls?  
\- He's incredibly annoying and appeals to their pity?  
\- Nope, but The ladies love a guy who's good with kids.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody :) 
> 
> I am back with a new chapter !! Things are moving a bit, but like in real life I like to take my time, so feel free to enjoy the ride.
> 
> A little warning though, in this chapter at one point there is mention of blood and injuries. If you don't feel comfortable with it or if this is something that triggers you, feel free to skip the scene. It's the third part of the chapter (each part is separated to the other by a line and each chapter in composed of 5 parts).
> 
> See you later. :)

When Lian woke up, it was still early. She hadn't slept much, annoyed by a feeling that didn't want to leave her alone. She liked Dick, he was her uncle Jay's older brother, and even though they didn't always get along, she knew that Jason didn't hate him as much as he wanted to suggest.  
She pulled herself out of the sheets and went to look for something in her suitcase. She grabbed a small notebook and a pen in her kit, then went back under the covers. Damian had told her several times that you have to write things down when you want to get an overview. When you let the information turn and turn, too long in your head you would end up being confused and you could no longer properly analyze the elements you had.  
She opened her notebook, and drew a line vertically in the middle of a blank page. At the top of the right column she wrote her uncle's first name, and at the top of the left column, the first name Dick. In each column she listed the behaviour that the person concerned had had with (Y/N). Dick had been charming, cheerful and seemed interested in everything (Y/N) and Lily had to say. He had been more considerate with (Y/N) than he had been with Lily but Lian thought it was mainly because (Y/N) had asked Dick about his brother. She had told her uncle's brother about their previous three encounters and had been surprised by Jason's hostility towards her when she had done nothing to attract anyone's wrath.  
Dick had explained to him that Jason was not easy to approach, that he was rather homey and liked his solitude. Lian didn't like that remark but didn't say anything. She reserved to herself the right to go to the young woman to deny the bad things that might have been said about her favorite uncle. In the column concerning Jason, the evidence gathered was not very encouraging. He had been cold, sulky, he ignored (Y/N) and replied only if he really had to. The only exception was during the meal, where despite the frontal attack launched by (Y/N) he remained calm. Lian was sure he wouldn't have been so diplomatic with one of his brothers or even Bruce. She had seen him with his brothers and he had no patience with them.  
She was sure of it, though. She had seen him glance at (Y/N) she would bet her life on it. And their neighbour seemed intrigued. Maybe not interested, Lian hadn't dared to ask the main interested party that very specific question, but at least she hadn't closed herself off. And last night she smiled at her uncle. That meant something, didn't it? And then, as Stephanie said, when a boy loves a girl, he doesn't really know how to say it, and he pulls her hair to get her attention. For all she knows, Uncle Jay's hostility might be his way of pulling girls' hair.  
Lian pouted. She wasn't quite convinced. Why did adults have to be so complicated? She wanted to call Damian to explain her idea, but she needed a phone, and the only phone here that had Damian's number was Jason's. In other words, she had little chances of getting her hands on it, and even less chance of calling Damian and explaining what she wanted before her uncle caught her and took back his property.  
She rolled her eyes, exasperated. She was about to close her notebook when she heard noise in the kitchen. Her father and Jason were up and talking while making their own breakfast.  
She quietly got up and stuck her ear to the bedroom door to listen to what they were saying. 

\- Still pissed off at your brother?  
\- Roy don’t start.  
\- I was just wondering if you were mad at your brother because he's your brother and you always find a good excuse to argue, or because he seems to get along well with the neighbours. Face it Jay, he's good with people, and I saw the look on your face when he took (Y/N) in his arms last night.  
\- Dick hugs everyone. He can't survive two hours without hugging anyone. We were all, molested by Dick the octopus, at least once.

Lian heard her father giggling, and had to hold back a laugh herself. It's true that Dick was a particularly tactile person. No one escaped it, not even Alfred or Damian. 

\- You know, there's no shame in being attracted to someone. We all are at some point.  
\- I'm not attracted to (Y/N). I'm no longer a child, if I like someone I don't beat around the bush.  
\- But of course...... Jay... maybe you should think about it five minutes and think about how you felt when you saw your brother hugging (Y/N). I hadn't seen you react the way you've been reacting around that girl for a very long time. 

Jason did not answer his friend and changed the subject, preferring to talk about his evening patrol rather than dwell on his alleged feelings.  
Lian was not satisfied. She walked away from the door and went back to bed with her notebook. The adults were complicated, certainly it was not new for her, but still. Her father was happy at the time. She had seen him when they were in the park and restaurant, and all the time she was with him. And she knew that even when she wasn't there, he wasn't sad, and that he was happy to live with his best friend. Lian was relieved, she knew that he had not always been happy and that a few years before, he had been sick. Uncle Jay had done all he could to make everything seem normal to her so she would not be able to realize that her father was in a bad situation. She loved him very much for that, but she was worried that Jason would only smile for her, or Roy. She had never seen him with a girl or a boy like she had seen Dick, or Tim. She wanted him to be happy and not just by kicking the butts of bad guys who wanted to hurt him. Maybe she should talk to her father about it. Damian was too far away and she was no longer so sure that he would be able to help her. Or she could address adult girls, like Barbara or Stephanie. 

She sighed , worried, and got up. She could always see what options she had after eating her breakfast. And if Uncle Jay was in a good mood, maybe she could try to convince him to go see his family. Despite the fact that he would not be of any tangible help to her, she was missing Damian and his bad temper. That's how it is with friends, you tend to love them so much, you can forgive them for most of their flaws. 

When she entered the kitchen, Roy's face lit up. His daughter walked towards him and hugged him at the waist as she used to do, then turned to Jason to do the same. She sat down at the kitchen bar and waited quietly for her breakfast to be served. 

\- Well rested, princess? 

Lian nodded with a smile. 

\- Yes. I had a great time last night. Even if it would have been even better if you had been there. 

Roy let a laugh escape and passed his hand over his daughter's head, ruining her hair in the process. 

\- You know we were supposed to go out last night, that's our job.  
\- I know. I know. But I don't really like it. I like spending time with you. And last night Uncle Jay was wounded. 

She pointed to her uncle's forearm as he was preparing her toast. 

\- Your father and I are used to it, and it's just scratches, nothing serious. 

She welcomed with pleasure her plate and her glass of orange juice. 

\- Do you have to go out again tonight?  
\- Jason has to go see someone, but I can stay. We've arranged for me to spend as much time with you as I can while you're here.  
\- All right. But can we still spend time with you, Uncle Jay?  
\- Of course, princess. I won't be long and I will be back home before you know it.

Lian smiled brightly and focused on her breakfast. The two adults had tea and coffee, and while the little girl at, they discussed Jason's evening appointment. Roy didn't like Lian to be present when they discussed their work, but since it was only a reconnaissance mission, and nothing violent was mentioned, he didn't mind. He loved having his daughter close to him despite the potential danger in his lifestyle. She was his lifeline, and he knew her by heart. He knew something was bothering her, and he could see the cogs in her head getting active. He suspected it had something to do with Jason but didn't say anything. Lian knew that if she wanted to talk, she could turn to her father, he would never stop her from speaking with an open heart, nor would he judge her on her questions. Maybe this time he should take the first step. After all, Jason was his best friend and Lian's unofficial uncle, she would certainly have more qualms about talking to her father if it was about her uncle. 

When the little girl had finished her plate, Jason took care of cleaning and tidying everything up. She went back to the room she was staying in and grabbed her notebook and pen, then went to sit on the couch while her father and Jason went about their business.  
She opened a new blank page, sucked the tip of her pen, then, taking a breath, began to write.

"Dear Diary,..."

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Jason was finishing getting ready in his room when Lian came to see him. She slipped into his room and sat silently on the edge of his bed. 

\- Is there a problem, princess? 

The little girl played for a moment with the plaid on the edge of the bed, before looking up at her uncle. 

\- I wanted to ask you a question, but I don't know if you're going to want to answer. And I don't want you to be angry. 

She looked sad and looked down as soon as she answered Jason's question. He finished putting on his holster and came to sit next to his niece, and took her in his arms. 

\- Lian, I'm not the best person to talk open-heartedly, I know that. However, there is no question, and I repeat, no question, that you could ask me that would make me angry. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to answer you, but I'll never get angry with you. 

His uncle's affirmation seemed to reassure Lian, and after taking a deep breath, she started speaking.

\- I'm wondering, and Dad doesn't seem to see the same things as me, so I wanted to know..... I wanted to know why you were so cold and mean to the neighbours. I know you don't get along with your brothers, Barbara explained it to me. But (Y/N) and lily they're not part of your family. 

Jason swore silently, and promised himself to say two words to Barbara when he had five minutes. 

\- Lian.... 

He squeezed her a little tighter against him and put his chin on the top of the little girl's head. 

\- Your father, you and Kory are the people I'm closest to. A few years ago, I loved Bruce, and Dick was my hero and role model...  
\- Oh, really?  
\- Yes, really. Then I had problems. Big problems that led me to realize that the admiration I had for Bruce and Dick was one-sided and that they had no problems replacing me in their lives.  
\- With Tim and Damian, right?  
\- That's it. Because of that, I have trouble trusting people. And even more so people I don't know. We don't know how people will react. And with my job it's complicated to get closer to people. There's a 50% chance they'll be malicious, or they'll try to hurt us. Finding really disinterested people in Gotham is difficult.  
\- What does disinterested mean? 

Jason let out a little laugh. 

\- Disinterested means they're not looking for something from you. To take advantage of you.  
\- And you think the neighbours aren't selfless, do you?  
\- I don't know, princess. I just know that we should have stopped to asking them to keep it down.  
-You didn't seem happy last night. When we were talking about Dick.  
\- Dick is my problem. He always had a knack for making me feel unwanted and stealing my spotlight. He's good at it.  
\- And you're afraid he'll steal your spotlight with (Y/N)? 

Jason frowned but did not answer. He thought back to the night before, and could not put his finger on what he had made him so angry that he wanted to beat his brother up.  
\- Dad told me that when you have a funny feeling in your stomach or in your heart but you're not sick, it means you like someone. Do you have this?  
\- I don't think so, no. You really want me to get along well with the neighbours, don't you? 

Lian tried to hide her smile by hiding her face against Jason's arm. 

\- Yes. I like (Y/N). Lily's nice too, but it's not the same. She's a little weird. She smiles a lot but her eyes remain a little cold. 

Jason thought back to the discussion he had heard in the hallway a few days earlier. 

\- Maybe she was hurt and she doesn't want to look sad in front of people. Not everyone talks about what scares them or keeps them awake at night.  
\- Like you and Dad?  
\- Like your father and I do, yes. 

Lian was not completely satisfied with the answers provided by her uncle, but it was already a start. She hugged him one last time and then cleared out to let him finish getting ready. When he was ready, she took his hand and both returned to the main room. Roy was lying on the couch and watching TV. He greeted his daughter with a smile and looked at his best friend. 

\- Ready to go, Jaybird?  
\- Yep. Keep your fingers crossed so I don't fall on my family and pray that Gordon doesn't back off of the deal. 

Roy raised his arm and crossed his fingers as Jason passed through the apartment window. 

For a moment Lian and Roy were content to watch television together in silence. Then Lian began to wiggle until he could no longer hold her in place. 

\- What's the matter, princess? You're very agitated tonight.....  
\- I'd like to go see Damian. Please, please, please, please, please!!!!  
\- Lian... I don't know if I can take you to see Damian. You know Uncle Jason....  
\- I know that. But he doesn't have to come with us. And Damian is my friend. Please, please, please, please, please!!!!

Roy sighed. He weighed the pros and cons and in the end, could not fight against his daughter's pleading gaze.  
He grabbed his phone with a sigh and searched Dick's phone number in his phone book before making the call. He was going to regret doing that, but it's not like he's putting her in danger. And if Jason had any objections, Roy would handle it.  
When Dick picked up, Roy explained the situation to him. Fortunately for Lian, Damian was not out that night and those who were on patrol would not be late, Bruce had asked everyone to be at the mansion early.  
After a few minutes of discussion, Dick confirmed to Roy that Lian was welcome to the mansion, and that the others would welcome him as well for the time of his visit.  
When the good news came, the little girl jumped up and ran into her room to get her coat. She put on her shoes and urged her father to hurry.  
They went down into the underground garage and settled into Roy's truck before taking the road and after about thirty minutes by car, they were in front of the entrance to Wayne's manor.  
Lian stepped out of the vehicle like a rocket, and climbed the steps that led to the entrance door four by four. She ranged, and Alfred came to open the door just as Roy was joining his daughter at the top of the stairs. 

\- Good evening, Miss Harper. Mr. Harper.  
\- Good evening, Alfred! Is Damian there? 

The little girl seemed overexcited at the thought of seeing her friend, and proceeded to conjure one of the butler's rare smiles. Alfred, got out of the entrance and offered to let them in, then led them to the living room where Dick, Damian and Stephanie were already sitting. Tim and Barbara were not present, and Bruce was not visible in the room.  
Lian rushed to Damian who didn't have time to avoid the cannonball that was the little girl and found himself against his will trapped in a hug. He grumbled a few words about the lack of control and impropriety of such a display of affection in public before the girl released him. She turned to the others, said a general hello, then took Damian by the hand before dragging him to one of the side rooms, telling him that she wanted to talk to him about something top secret.  
Roy with a sigh approached Dick and Stephanie and greeted them. He sat in an armchair next to them and apologized for the inconvenience. 

\- Don't worry about it, Roy. From what you told me, she wouldn't have been quiet until she saw Dami, right? 

Roy nodded. 

\- Yeah. She has an idea in mind and I have a feeling it's about your brother. 

Dick was intrigued, and Stephanie got a little closer to the two young men. 

\- Jason's out tonight, and when he was getting ready, I saw Lian go see him. I know her, and she knows that when we get ready, she's not supposed to be in the room. I don't want her to get used to seeing us armed. So I wanted to go get her, but she was talking to Jay.  
\- And what were they discussing? 

Roy hesitated for a moment. 

\- They were discussing last night and Jason's reaction. I feel like Lian thinks Jay has feelings for the neighbour and he doesn't want to say it. 

Dick started laughing, looking like he didn't believe it for a second, while Stephanie frowned and pushed the oldest Wayne to the side. 

\- And she's right?  
\- Honestly, Steph, I have no idea. I know he promised her to make an effort with the neighbours since she likes them but frankly..... He is strange at the moment, but to deduce that he has feelings for a girl he met just a few days ago....  
\- It's possible, isn't it? Look at stupid, laughing there. He has one crush a week. And Jason, despite everything he wants to say, he remains human. Human with feelings. And if he can feel anger, he may as well fell attraction and maybe even love. 

Dick stopped laughing for a moment and took time to catch his breath. 

\- Steph' we're talking about Jason, he has as many love inclinations as Dami.  
\- You'd be surprised, Dick. Our little Damian may be a demon but he is not indifferent to a certain person in our entourage. 

Dick looked at the stunned blonde. 

\- No... 

Roy let out a sigh. 

\- Lian is convinced that she is right, and I think she will try to use her position with Jason to prove it. I just don't want her to alienate Jay, or be disappointed if she finds out she's wrong. 

A silence set for a moment. Dick always seemed shocked by Stephanie's insinuations, and Stephanie, her, seemed to be thinking. 

\- You know Roy, there may be a solution to this problem. 

The redhead looked up at Stephanie, hoping with all his heart that it wasn't yet one of her delusional ideas that would end badly. 

\- Go ahead and explain. At this point..... 

The young woman leaned over to her two accomplices to explain her plan.  
Meanwhile Lian had had time to explain to Damian what she suspected and couldn't get him to believe that she could be right. She showed him her notebook and explained to him what had happened, the reactions her uncle had had and the discussion that had taken place in Jason's room before he left that very evening. Damian was not convinced and he contradicted every one of Lian's arguments, and finally finished his argument by explaining that Todd was impossible to love, and that he had proved it many times in recent years. He was a difficult person that even Father could not contain.  
The little girl closed her notebook with a sad look on her face and jumped when her father shouted her first name to call her. 

\- LIAN!!! UNCLE JAY IS HERE. WE'RE GOING HOME!!! 

When they arrived at the mansion, Roy had sent a text message to Jason to let him know they were leaving. He told him where they were and assured Jason that he didn't have to join them if he don’t wanted to. Apparently he had decided otherwise. He had greeted Alfred as usual. He may not have liked coming at the mansion, but he still loved Alfred, and no one would make him disrespect the butler who had always treated him with love. He passed through the living room where his friend Stephanie and Dick were, greeted the young woman and took care to ignore his brother who had approached him, then went in search of his niece to be able to leave the house as quickly as possible.  
When he arrived in one of the secondary living rooms, he found Damian sitting in an armchair reading a magazine. 

\- Where's Lian, demon brat?  
\- She's hiding behind the sofa.  
\- Hey!

Jason did find the little girl hiding behind the couch, who gave Damian a black look as soon as she came out of her hiding place. She then looked at her uncle, and smiled innocently. 

\- Hey, Uncle Jay. Are you all right? 

Jason sighed and rolled his eyes. 

\- It's time to go home Lian, your father and I need to talk and it would be better if we were at the apartment for that.

The little girl looked down and pouted. 

\- All right. 

She turned to Damian and said goodbye, getting no answer from the boy. Then she took her uncle by the hand and both went to join Roy who was waiting for them at the front door with Dick and Stephanie.  
They exchanged a good evening, and Jason turned one last time to say good night to Alfred but stopped in full sentence when he saw Bruce at the back of the hall. He left the house and got on his motorcycle, waiting for the other two to get back into the truck. They all left, under the gaze of the blonde and the eldest of the Wayne's. 

\- Your plan will get us into trouble, Steph.  
\- No, It will not! And what are the risks? To see that Jason has risen from the dead with a heart of stone or, on the contrary, that he has human feelings and a crush? I see nothing but positive outcomes in this.  
\- I can see that somehow it's going to end badly for us. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Once everyone had returned to the apartment, things did not go as Roy had imagined. He thought Jason would wait until Lian went to wash up to start blaming him for bringing his niece to the mansion. He expected anger, disapproval, blame and criticism to be unending, not to mention the inevitable monologue about the constant faults of his family and more specifically Bruce and Dick, but none of this happened.  
If Roy was really honest, he knew he had escaped the storm Jason, only thanks to the phone call he received when they returned. He had seen his friends touch the side of his helmet as if to answer a call, as he was opening the way back to the apartment.  
Red Hood gave his friend an annoyed look but made no comments. Roy would do anything to make Lian happy, and he had trouble accepting that the girl or even her best friend could have a more or less normal relationships with his family. He readjusted his helmet, and headed for the window. 

\- I have to go out again. I'll be back in a couple of hours.  
\- Okay. 

Roy watched his friend come out and sighed. He felt that he had not heard the end of it. He went to his room and put Lian to bed. Once the little girl was settled in and ready to fall asleep, he kissed her on the forehead and returned to the living room closing the bedroom door behind him. He went to sit on the couch as usual since his daughter arrived, and pulled the blanket. He reached out to grab the remote control, and turned on the television. He skipped channels for a few minutes and then settled for a random show.  
He watched the program for a moment and then fell asleep, with the television still on.  
Roy was woken up several hours later by a loud fall sound in the living room. He woke up with a start and grabbed the knife that Jason always left under the couch seat. He jumped over the back of the sofa and found himself facing the intruder who was spread out on the floor of the main room. 

\- Hey Roy... 

The redhead dropped his weapon and rushed to his friend who looked rather ill. The lower right part of his helmet was missing, and he was covered in blood. He helped Jason to get up and saw that his friend was keeping his left arm pressed against his stomach. He laid him down on the couch and removed what was left of the helmet before moving his arm to see the damage.  
Roy frowned when he noticed that the young man had received numerous blade cuts to his abdomen. Nothing deep, but enough to cause a big loss of blood, and an inability to use his lower limbs properly. 

\- How did you manage to get back in this state? 

Jason didn't answer, he was in shock. Roy swore and noticed that his friend was having trouble breathing. He seized his phone and called Alfred immediately. The butler was taking note of what Roy was telling him and immediately sent Dick to the apartment to help his brother. He heard the bedroom door open and sent Lian back to bed before she could even see her uncle in such a bad state. The little girl immediately closed the door, but stayed behind to listen to what was happening.  
Roy put Alfred on speaker so that he could be guided by the butler until Dick arrived. Meanwhile Jason had passed out. 

\- Okay, uh... he has several stab wounds to the abdomen, nothing perforating but deep enough to cause muscle damage. He has trouble breathing and given the amount of blood on his clothes, I would say he has lost quite a lot, as far as I can see, and if it is his own blood, I would say he lost about 25%. His pulse is slightly slowed and his extremities are pale. 

Roy rushed to the kitchen to grab some clean cloths and applied them to the wounds. 

\- It is possible that he may be suffering from a concussion. A part of his helmet is missing but he does not have any trace of a blow or shock of any kind. 

Roy didn't know what to say anymore, and despite the cold sweat running down his back, his voice was stable. Alfred, on the phone, gave him instructions to help stabilize Jason until his brother was there with the necessary equipment. After long minutes of waiting, Dick arrived and Roy opened the door for him. He didn't have his usual smile on his face, but was obviously in Nightwing mode, and took over to help Jason. Roy warned Alfred that Dick had arrived, and the butler hung up after announcing to the young man that he would inform the other family members of the situation.  
Dick cleaned, sutured and bandaged his brother's wounds, checked his blood pressure, as well as his blood oxygenation level before checking the reaction of his pupils with a small flashlight, then when he was finally satisfied, he asked Roy for help to take Jason to his room.  
They put him to bed and let him rest, leaving the bedroom door open to hear if his patient woke up. Once they returned to the main room, they took action to erase all traces of what had just happened. The blanket used by Roy and the cushion covers were stained with blood, so they ended up in a garbage bag ready to be destroyed, along with the rest of the strips of gauze and single-use medical instruments that Dick had used to sew his brother up. They moped and rearranged what was wrong when Jason came back in a hurry. Once everything was back to normal, Dick went into the kitchen and made two coffees. Roy took the opportunity to check on Lian. The little girl had fallen asleep by the door. Her face twisted in an expression shared between sadness and pain. He was trying so hard to protect her from what could happen at work. Obviously, he was failing.  
He put her back in the bed and tucked her in, kissing her again on the forehead before exiting the room.  
He joined Dick and welcomed the cup of fresh coffee that the young man handed him. 

\- Is Lian asleep?  
\- She tried to get out of the room when I was on the phone with Alfred. I sent her back to bed but she stayed by the door, I found her asleep against the wall. 

Dick sighed and looked down at his cup. 

\- Lian is smart. She knows what happened tonight. But she remains a child, she wants to participate, and is naturally curious about what is happening, especially when you don't want her to be interested.  
\- I know. I'm just afraid that she'll get hurt one day because I wouldn't have been careful enough, or worse that she'd decide to go down the same path as us. She already admires Damian as Robin. I don't want her to end the way we almost ended more than once. 

The eldest of the Wayne's nodded to mark his acknowledgement, and took a sip of coffee again as he looked towards the open door that led to his little brother's room. 

\- Where was he tonight to end up like this?  
\- I have no idea. He received a phone call when we were on our way back home. He left shortly after we got back. He didn't say where he was going, he just told me that he was going to be back two hours later. Nothing more than that. 

Dick growled. 

\- He sometimes gets on my nerves making secrets out of everything. After all these years I thought he would finally…. 

He did not finish his sentence, his throat tied. Roy put his hand on Dick's shoulder and squeezed for a moment, to give him his support.

\- Jason... Jason is complicated. Even for me and we're not related. He's not a bad person, we both know that, but he's very angry with Bruce, which is nothing new.  
\- That... I think they're stuck in a vicious circle. They do everything to make the other person angry and wonder why nothing gets better.  
\- Maybe we should lock them in a bunker and throw away the keys until they finally yell at each other for what they have to say. 

Dick let out a sad laugh. 

\- I'm not sure it'll work. It would be more like a pugilate than a rational explanation if you ask me. 

The two men stayed together talking until late at night, then Dick decided it was time for him to go back home. He said goodbye Roy and asked him to keep him informed of his brother's condition before leaving. The redhead, after Dick left, looked at the couch and thought he didn't really want to sleep there tonight. He took one of the chairs from the dining table and dragged it into Jason's room. He sat down and after checking that his friend was still breathing, fell asleep in the same chair. 

When Jason emerged the next morning, he was surprised to find his niece glued against him in bed. Once the surprise was over, he looked around and realized that he was in his room. He didn't remember coming back to the apartment last night. He tried to move but a wave of pain irradiating from his middle prevented him from doing so. He then turned his head to find his best friend asleep in a chair next to his bed. Clenching his teeth to contain the pain, he moved his arm to shake Roy's knee and wake him up. The latter jumped and smiled timidly as he saw his wounded friend awake. He frowned as he saw a tuft of brown hair next to Jason. He rolled his eyes but said nothing. There was no point now in complaining. He brought the chair closer to the bed. 

\- How are you feeling, Jaybird?  
\- Not so good. How did I get here?  
\- You crashed in the living room, and you passed out. I had to call for help to stitch you up and bring you here. 

Jason nodded, suspecting that Roy had had to call his family for it. He lifted the blanket to try to see the extent of the damage. He shivered and suddenly turned to Roy with a very serious look.

\- Roy...... I'm sorry to tell you this now, but..... Considering my wounds....I lost our baby.

Roy punched his friend in the shoulder, who was holding back from laughing because of the pain. 

\- You're a jerk. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Jason was closely watched all morning, and when he thought his friend had relaxed his vigilance, he was reprimanded by Lian as he tried to get out of bed. He found himself forced to lie down for most of the day, and was not allowed to use his phone. Lian, on the other hand, kept him company.  
Roy had texted Dick to warn him that Jason was awake and that he looked about fine, despite natural fatigue after significant blood loss and injuries such as those he had suffered.  
By early afternoon he had received a call from Stephanie, reminding him of her plan from the previous evening, and letting him know on several occasions that the current situation was very suitable for the execution of the plan in question. The already tired redhead didn't want to think about the blonde's crazy plan but she seemed very enthusiastic about confirming her suspicions and didn't let go of Roy until he promised at least to try.  
Roy took care of his bedridden friend and daughter until the evening. He received another phone call and came out of the room to answer. When he came back, he looked bored.  
Jason looked up from the comic book he was reading with Lian and stared at his roommate. 

\- Something wrong, Roy?  
\- Yeah. I have to get out. It wasn't planned and I can't leave you two alone. And neither Dick nor Stephanie are available immediately.  
\- And? I can keep Lian. Anyway, I can't move much right now. 

Roy raised an eyebrow. 

\- Precisely. You think you can take care of Lian alone tonight? You can't even move from one room to another by yourself.  
\- And what do you recommend then? 

The little girl's father played with his cell phone for a moment, and grinned. 

\- I don't want any protest, I don't have a choice under the circumstances so...  
\- I swear to you, if you call Bruce...  
\- I'm not going to call Bruce, but I'm going to go next door for help.  
\- What do you mean by next door? 

Suddenly, the meaning of what Roy had just said struck Jason. He became paler than he already was and shook his head. 

\- No. No.  
\- Yes. And you'll be kind and a patient... patient, I suppose.  
\- Roy...  
\- No protest, I have no choice, and I'm not giving you a choice either. Now get ready, I'll help you go to the main room, we'll put you on the couch. 

Despite the injured man's protests and threats, Roy helped his friend get out of bed and into the next room. He sat him down on the couch and brought him a blanket and a t-shirt, Dick having only put on him a jog the night before. Lian had not understood at first sight why her uncle was so reluctant, but once he had started threatening her father, she had figured out where they were going with. From that moment on, she became a real energy ball again and ran around to make sure everything was perfect in the apartment.  
Roy left Jason and his daughter for a moment to ring the bell at the neighbours' house. It was Lily who opened the door for him, she was putting on her coat when Roy rang the bell, and she apologized for greeting him like that. When Roy explained the situation to her, avoiding to mention that Jason was injured because of his Red hood activity but arguing that he had had a bad fall and needed to be watched, the young woman looked sorry. She told him that she was about to leave for several days to visit her family, and that it was better for him to contact (Y/N). She let him into their house, closed the door, and then went to get her friend, who was in the bathroom.  
(Y/N) smiled when she saw Roy, she asked him for a little more details about what was going on, Lily having vaguely explained the situation to her when she had come to fetch her.  
Roy told his story again and finally asked her if she would take care of her friend for the evening, and at the same time watch his daughter. He had no choice, and had to go to a last-minute appointment and did not want to leave his injured friend alone. His daughter did not have the physical strength to help him if he fell and he did not want to leave her alone. (Y/N) agreed and assured him that she would not mind after Roy asked her to forgive him for making such a request.  
The redhead came home a few minutes later and told Jason and Lian that their neighbour would be here within the hour, and that he would leave after she arrived. He then went to get ready, tonight he wouldn't be Arsenal, but he would still take some precautions. He put on civilian clothes, and took his eternal cap with him. When the hour was almost up, he came out of his room and returned to the living room. 

\- I hope you'll behave yourself tonight.  
\- Harper, if I could get off this couch without fear of my organs falling to the ground, I'd kick your ass.  
\- Jason, language, we have sensitive ears in the room. 

Lian manifested herself by going to see her father, hugging him by the waist and sticking out his tongue at her uncle. 

\- Yes, Uncle Jason, think about me, you must be a good example.  
\- Just wait, you little ...

The little girl laughed and joined her uncle on the couch. The doorbell of the apartment rang at that moment and Roy went to open to (Y/N) who was then invited to come in. 

\- Thank you again for agreeing to help me. I don't know how I would have done it if you hadn't agreed to that. Things haven't gone the way I expected tonight.  
\- No problem really, I don’t mind at all. Lily went to see her family, I find myself alone, so spending the evening with Lian and the homestuck patient doesn't bother me, quite the contrary. 

She smiled joyfully at him, and waved back at Lian, who was still on the couch by her uncle. Roy and (Y/N) exchanged a few more words before he left, leaving the young woman alone with her daughter and friend.  
The redhead went down the stairs four by four and answered his phone that started ringing as we entered the lobby. He had not yet left the building, but the people he was supposed to meet were already getting impatient. He told his interlocutor that he would be there in a few minutes and hung up. He found himself in the street, and turned right to go to a dinner a few blocks away. He entered the restaurant and walked towards the back, spotting from afar the silhouettes of his friends waiting for him. 

\- So?  
\- So honestly, to start with, I'll get something to eat, I'm hungry. 

At the apartment, things had started badly, Jason closing up like an oyster until he needed help to get to the bathroom. This was without counting on, the optimistic and selfless nature of (Y/N) which helped him to move without him feeling uncomfortable or diminished. She even waited for him outside the bathroom door so he wouldn't have to call her again to get back to the couch.  
As Lian was too young to cook alone, (Y/N) suggested that they cook together under Jason's direction who could more or less supervise what they were doing from the couch. His view was partially impaired because of the bar that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room, but it was enough for him to follow the progress of things. That's how they ended up all on the couch, Jason stuck between Lian and (Y/N) enjoying chicken with butternut. Lian was enjoying herself, and the injured man had to admit that the young woman was a good cook, and he finally decided to enjoy the evening. 

When Roy returned several hours later, the night was already well advanced. For his part, the evening had been rather pleasant and he did not regret going out in the end. He turned the key in the front door and was surprised to hear only the sounds from the television.  
He put his keys on the kitchen bar and grabbed his phone.  
Lian rolled in a ball against her uncle, Jason slumped against (Y/N) whose head rested on the injured man's shoulder, all sleeping soundly, it was well worth a picture.  
He rolled his eyes with a smile and sent the picture by text message. He put his phone in his back jeans pocket and started to wake everyone up. 

Dick and Stephanie had stayed at the dinner table where they spent their evening with Roy. They were in the middle of a discussion when Stephanie received a text message from the redhead. She shouted with joy and shoved her phone at Dick, her arm outstretched. 

\- Look! Look!!!!! They're so cute when they're asleep.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

When Jason woke up the next morning he decided to stay in bed for a while. He thought about the evening before, which looked more and more like an ambush orchestrated by Roy, the more he thought about it.  
He wanted to confront his friend about it but he didn't want to relive the mini-horror he had experienced when Roy came home. Yes, they had all fallen asleep on the couch, yes he had slightly slipped against (Y/N) in his sleep, yes the young woman had fallen asleep against him, so what? It wasn't worth the mocking looks Roy gave him last night when he helped him get back to his room after their neighbour left.  
He grunted and tried to get up, clenching his teeth under the wave of the pain. Roy had warned him that Dick would come in the morning to take a look at his injuries and change his bandages. He wasn't particularly happy with the idea, but he didn't have much choice.  
As it was impossible for him to move properly for a few more days, he was trapped inside. So Roy would wait until Dick got here to go out with his daughter. Lian and her father needed to spend time together and Jason couldn't stop them from enjoying the little time they had together because he had been reckless and became incapacitated.  
He could hear them in the main room having breakfast. He was mixed between the desire to join them, even if it meant suffering in the process, and staying in his bed. After a moment of reflection, he decided to join them. 

Roy and Lian were sitting at the dining table when Jason appeared in the frame of the door leading to his room. Roy got up and went to help his friend join them. He prepared a tea cup for him, put it in front of him and then went back to his chair. 

\- Slept well, Jay?  
\- Hm.... 

Jason didn't answer and looked down at his cup of tea. He was playing last night over and over again in his head and had trouble keeping a smile off his face. Lian had been particularly happy last night. The little girl was naturally cheerful, but yesterday, she seemed to have reached a peak of happiness. And he had to admit that despite all his prejudices, (Y/N) was pretty good company.  
He was drawn from his thoughts by Roy and his daughter's conversation. They were discussing their program for the day. Jason envied them a little. He was certainly not ready to have children, but he had to admit that he missed the afternoons spent with his family from time to time.  
After breakfast, Roy helped Jason get on the couch and he and his daughter prepared to leave. Lian was finishing putting on her dress when the apartment bell rang.  
She rushed to the door and opened it to Dick who had a big smile on his face. 

\- Hello Dick!!!  
\- Hi Lian! How are you doing? I'm here to watch your uncle. 

Jason groaned from the couch and rolled his eyes. The little girl let the eldest of the Wayne family into the apartment and went to fetch her father. Dick approached the couch and put down the sports bag containing everything he needed to take care of his brother. 

\- Hey Jaybird. How are you feeling?  
\- Dick. 

Jason did not answer his brother's question, and Dick chose not to be bothered. He sat down next to his little brother and pinched his lips. 

\- Just for the record... Alfred warned everyone that you were hurt. And so... I have to report to them on your condition. Bruce...  
\- Dick, I know you're here because Roy called you and I don't have a choice in the matter. Don't try to play on feelings, especially not using Bruce you know how it's going to end. 

The two young men remained silent until Roy and Lian came out of the room and left. Once they were completely alone, Dick checked his brother's injuries and replaced the bandages. 

\- Your wounds are clean, no sign of infection. Are you tired right now?  
\- A little.  
\- It's the loss of blood. You're going to need to rest a while longer before you can resume your activities. That's wiser. 

Jason was going to open his mouth to protest, but his brother stopped him. 

\- No. No buts. You have lost a lot of blood, I have seen you lying on this couch, bathing in your blood, you need to rest until you can be fully recovered. If you ever faint during a mission you may not come home at all... And I'm not sure I can handle a second funeral for Jason Todd. 

Jason's elusive look gave Dick the assurance that his brother would not protest any more today about his injuries. Dick took his place on the couch next to his brother. 

\- Roy told me you played nanny last night?  
\- Yeah, he had something to do and left me with Lian to watch.  
\- I'm surprised he left you alone with his daughter when you're not really in a position to move alone right now.  
\- I had my own babysitter since none of you were available. Apparently I'm not supposed to be left unsupervised. 

Jason's statement made Dick laugh. 

\- Yes, sorry about that. I was on patrol last night and the girls had their own plans. I figured you might not want to have Tim or Damian in your path, so... But who was the babysitter?  
\- (Y/N), the neighbour.  
\- Ooooh yes. She's nice, and pretty, I like her.  
\- Thank you for not seducing my neighbour. I see you enough as it is. You don't have to become a frequent visitor to this building to that. 

To Jason's surprise, his brother's visit was not completely unpleasant. Apparently today was the day of surprises. After realizing that (Y/N) was not bad company, that he might miss his family despite the efforts he was making to hate them and the fact that for the moment he had not yet wanted to strangle his brother, he surprised himself by hoping that it was the neighbour who had just rang the doorbell.  
Dick got up and went to open up, and Jason's heart started beating a little faster when (Y/N) appeared. She came in with a plate of cookies in her hand and a blossoming smile on her lips. 

\- Hi, I understand Jason was alone today and since he's sick I thought I could keep him company. I mean, if my presence doesn't bother you. 

Dick let her in and noticed that Jason, although keeping a neutral look, looked a little more relaxed when he saw the neighbour. She went to greet the wounded man and sat next to him, handing him the plate of cookies for him to take one. Jason took one with a little reluctance for form, then she stretched her arm, the one holding the plate, towards Dick who joined them on the couch.  
They talked for a while about everything and nothing, until Dick suddenly decided he had to leave. He said goodbye to (Y/N) and his brother and left them alone. As soon as he got out, he grabbed his phone and texted Stephanie. He would have love to be able to be in two places at the same time in order to see the reaction of the blonde.  
After Dick left, Jason had only one strange fear: that (Y/N) would decide to go home. Fortunately for him, his neighbour didn't seem to want to leave. She sat next to him, with a cookie in her hand, talking. 

\- And so as Lily left for her family, I thought I would trump my solitude by keeping you company. That's a little selfish, sorry.  
\- No. It's nice of you to come and keep me company. Most people I know wouldn't have lifted a finger to even check up on me. You come with cookies. That's fine with me. 

(Y/N) smiled gently, and cleared her throat. 

\- Your brother seemed happy to keep you company, though.  
\- It's... complicated. My family is complicated. We don't get along very well. 

The young woman put her hand on Jason's forearm to give him her support. 

\- Family relationships are not necessarily easy. But as they say, you don't choose your family but you can always choose your friends. And if you need company in the coming days, until you get back on your feet, I'm here. And even after that. 

(Y/N) smiled at him, gently squeezed the hand she had put on Jason's arm. He could not help but feel a heat ball forming in his chest and had to control himself for a moment not to take (Y/N)'s hand. 

\- Thank you. I wouldn't want to interfere with your job search either... since last night you told me that since you moved to Gotham...  
\- Um... it's okay, don't worry. My options are limited here anyway. I had started my job search before coming here but I didn't get any answers. I'm considering taking a job as a waitress nearby. I saw that The Question Mark was recruiting. Maybe I'll apply.  
\- But why exactly did you come to Gotham to settle down?  
\- I followed Lily. She had a very bad experience a few months ago and she had to change her life completely. Alone, she wouldn't have been able to leave, so I left with her. 

The young woman sighed and looked sad for a fraction of a second. The emotion did not escape Jason who this time did not fight against his reflex and grabbed (Y/N)'s hand.

\- It's not going as you planned, is it?  
\- No. No, it's not going as planned. Lily left yesterday to visit her family and I think she's going to stay there. 

They did not have time to dwell on the subject since Roy and his daughter returned from their day out. The little girl was holding the promotional bag that one of the Gotham museums was offering to its visitors and shouted with joy when she saw the cookies placed on the sofa next to her uncle. (Y/N) laughed and turned to the little girl, receiving a hug between two cookies. Jason looked at Roy who seemed to be at the end of his life. 

\- I'd kill for a coffee... literally.

(Y/N) got up from the couch followed by Jason's eyes and headed for the kitchen. 

\- You know what? I'll tell you what. I'll take care of it. Coffee for Roy, tea for Jason, and for Lian I'd say... orange juice.

Lian gave her a radiant smile, while Roy thanked (Y/N) for the help. He slumped down next to his friend while the young woman was busy in the kitchen. 

\- I see Dick left earlier than expected.  
\- Shut up, Roy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everybody. 
> 
> It took me a while to write this chapter because some difficulties happened in my private life. Unfortunately I had to say goodbye to both my grand-parents of my father side and it was difficult to think about something else for a while. 
> 
> I am back now, and I am determined to continue with this pic and I really hope that you will like this new chapter. 
> 
> There is a riddle at one point and if you know the answer (or even if you don't know the answer), feel free to share it with me and I will give you the answer in the next chapter. 
> 
> Have a good day ! 
> 
> Basorexia

For once in his life Jason did not regret being wounded on a mission. Of course he was stuck at home until further notice, but he had good reason to be less annoyed by the situation than usual.   
On one hand, his best friend's daughter was present, and she illuminated the lives of the two men. On the other hand, a feeling that was still vague but very present made him feel as if he had been comfortably settled in his own skin for a few days. He found himself smiling when he woke up that morning. He had had a good night's sleep, and only woke up once because of the pain. A good night, then, of course. He put his hands on his face to chase away the remains of his night, then slowly straightened up. That's when Lian opened the door to her room and entered, carrying a tray in her arms. 

\- Hello Uncle Jay!!! It's breakfast time!

The little girl put the tray on the edge of the bed and hoisted herself up on the mattress to pick up her load and put it on her uncle's legs. The tray came from the kitchen, he recognized it, but he didn't recognize the culinary talent that had prepared his breakfast. Despite all his good will, Roy always ended up letting the omelettes cook too long and we found ourselves eating dry eggs in the middle and frankly burned on the outside. Here, the omelette was perfect. Just like the two toasts, the fig jam, the small square of butter and the large glass of fresh orange juice placed on the said tray.   
He must have frowned because Lian laughed, and handed him a fork, knife and spoon. 

\- Dad didn't make breakfast. He left earlier. Stephanie called him, and apparently she wanted to see him to ask him for help on a work file. He told me to stay with you. 

Jason enjoyed his omelette and took a long sip of orange juice before focusing again on Lian. 

\- And so, who made breakfast ?   
\- (Y/N). 

Jason paused for a moment, the fork halfway between his plate and his lips. 

\- (Y/N) is here? 

Lian shook her head. 

\- No, she went home, she said she had to go see a guy for an interview. But she took the time to cook for us. At the same time she didn't had much choice, Dick had started burning the kitchen when (Y/N) worried about the smell.   
\- What? 

The young man was lost. (Y/N) had to cook when Dick started setting fire to the kitchen? In itself, that too was not very surprising. Dick was worse than Roy in terms of cooking. But if he had understood what his niece had just told him, it meant that Dick was present in his apartment. 

\- Lian... Dick is still here? 

An innocent smile appeared on Roy's daughter's lips. 

\- Yes. He was waiting for you to wake up to look at your wounds. He said he agreed with Dad to stop by regularly until you're completely cured. 

Jason growled and pushed back the tray on which he had placed his cutlery. And to think that the morning had started well.   
Seeing that her uncle would not eat more than he had already taken, Lian climb down the bed and went to the living room to pick up her uncle's brother. He entered the room a few minutes later without the little girl.   
He sat on the edge of the bed and observed his brother for a moment.

\- Stéph asked me to check in with you.   
\- I'm fine. I don't need a nanny or a nurse. 

Dick sighed and grabbed his bag to take out what he needed for Jason's bandage. 

\- Well, while you are still recovering, it's up to me to take care of you when you can't do it or when Roy's away. 

He put his equipment on the mattress and pushed the tray further, removing it from Jason's legs, to put it towards the edge of the bed. He then helped his brother to sit properly, and lifted the blanket to access his brother's bandages.   
He examined the wounds, and found them in the process of healing. He was careful not to tell Jason that he might soon resume his activities. He knew very well that if he told him now, his little brother would take the opportunity to try something stupid and reopen his wounds unnecessarily.   
He washed the wounds as they healed, then changed the strips to a thinner, more breathable material. He knew Jason would notice the change, but if he asked questions, he could still argue that the new bands would help the wounds heal faster.   
Once this was done, Dick put his equipment away and put the old bandages, as well as the gauze and cotton he used to clean the wounds, in a medical waste bag that he would dispose of once he got back to the mansion.   
He grabbed the edge of the tray left nearby and pulled it towards him. 

\- You should eat. I hear it helps when you're recovering. 

Jason gave a dark look to his brother who had adopted a more than ironic tone. 

\- Don't you have anything else to do but squat here? I don't know, could you maybe go take care of Demon Head?   
\- Damian is obviously not the only child who needs to be supervised. It seems you're not very obedient and Roy can't stay watching you all the time. The proof is that he called me yesterday... to watch you. 

The wounded man crossed his arms and took it upon himself not to get angry. He wasn't supposed to make a scene. Lian was in the next room and if he ever had to fight with his brother again, he still preferred to wait until the little girl was not within ear's reach and he was completely recovered.  
Dick had meanwhile caught one of the abandoned toasts and not wanting to let it get lost, ate it and took a look at his brother from time to time. 

\- You're getting crumbs all over my bed.

Dicl swallowed the toast bite and leaned towards Jason. 

\- If you had eaten your toast, that wouldn't happen.   
\- Yes, or you could eat cleanly like every other human being on the planet. 

Dick laughed, and picked up the crumbs that had fallen on the sheets and put them on the plate. He took the opportunity to grab the second toast and make it a vague memory in a matter of minutes. 

\- Hm, (Y/N) makes a great breakfast! You're lucky your neighbor was alerted by the smell from the kitchen. You could have eaten coal otherwise. 

 

Jason clenched his fists with the mention of (Y/N). He didn't like his brother talking about her. Why? No idea, he still had to answer that question, but in any case, he didn't like it.   
Dick was not unaware of the young man's reaction. He hadn't particularly wanted to believe it, but with the picture from the last time, and Jason's reaction to (Y/N)'s impromptu visit the day before, he was beginning to believe that Stephanie was right and that Jason was not insensitive to his neighbour's charm. Especially since, according to Roy, the young woman did not leave after he himself had left them alone at the apartment. He knew what he had to do.   
Certainly it wasn't the smartest idea, but he didn't have many other solutions to confirm Stephanie's hypothesis. He was going to have to make his brother angry.   
He knew Jason by heart and the best way to get him to say things was to make him angry. After all, it was angry and emotional that Jason had told Bruce that he hated him for taking him for a threat when he came back from the dead, rather than being happy that his son was back. It was also by making him angry that they were able to find out why Jason chose to work for Black Mask despite the fact that he did everything Jason hated most in the world.  
And this time he would make his brother angry to find out if he really had any feelings or attachment for the young woman who lived next door.   
Again, it wasn't ideal, but Jason, with his family, only understood two emotions: anger and grief. Might as well use it. However, it was out of the question to talk to Bruce, who would soon interfere with his plans and ruin everything. As for Stephanie, he had to have a word with her. Maybe she could help him.   
He exchanged a few more words with his brother and then got up to say goodbye. Roy wouldn’t take long to come back home and Lian was already choosing a book to spend some time with her uncle.   
He was curious to know what the redhead had told the blonde about the events of the previous day. This too could help him to set up the best tactic to get his brother off his hinges.   
It was due time for Jason to stop being a loner as well as stop burying every spark of goodness or happiness that appeared.  
A girl like (Y/N) in her life would do him a lot of good. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

When Roy returned to the apartment, he found his friend asleep on the couch, Lian next to him reading a book.   
She saw her father from the corner of her eye and put a finger on her lips to tell him not to make any noise. Lian closed her book and carefully hoisted herself out of the couch so as not to wake her uncle. She approached her father who took her in his arms and both decided to whisper so as not to disturb the third inhabitant. 

\- Is Stephanie okay? Did she mention Damian? 

Roy smiled and sat down at the kitchen bar with his daughter. 

\- Stephanie is fine. She wanted information on a situation we're monitoring right now. And no, sorry, princess, she didn't mention Damian. I'll ask her again next time I see her, okay? 

The little girl replied with a nod of her head, looking a little sad. Roy put his hand through his daughter's hair to ruffle it and continued. 

\- How did it go with Dick?   
\- Good, but I don't think Uncle Jay expected him to be here all the time. He comes every day. It's not usually like that, is it? 

Roy looked at his friend's sleeping shape. 

\- No, it's not usually like that. I think Dick has an idea in mind and generally, when it does, it doesn't end well. Dick and your uncle are known not to be very smart when they confront each other. 

Lian seemed to think for a moment before grabbing her father's arm and holding it close to her. 

\- If that's the way it is in all families, I'm glad I don't have a brother or sister. You and Uncle Jay are more than enough. 

Roy smiled affectionately at his daughter and hugged her. 

\- If it wasn't for you, princess, my life would have been a lot different, you know. I'm glad you're here, even though you're leaving soon.  
\- I don't want to go back.   
\- You have to, though, otherwise how else are you going to get even smarter than you already are and close Damian's beak?   
\- Damian's an idiot who thinks girls aren't as strong as boys.  
\- And what do you think of that?   
\- I think when I grow up, Damian will always be as dumb as ever and I'll be like you and Uncle Jay. 

Roy raised an interrogative eyebrow, and invited his daughter to continue. 

\- I mean, Damian will continue to see himself as stronger than everyone else and that instead of screaming at everything I want people to think about me, I will do what is right and useful. Actions speak louder than words. 

Roy smothered a laugh for fear of waking his friend. 

\- You read Jason's books behind his back again. But you're right. The best way to contradict people who make fun of you or doubt you is to smile at them and achieve what you want to be or do.   
\- And that's why I’ll be super badass when Damian will always be complaining about not being taken seriously. 

Roy watched his daughter step off the stool with a smile. Lian was a little girl with quite a temper. Character that she took in part from her mother. And between her mother, him, and Jason the little girl had enough to do in terms of stubbornness and willingness to undo prejudices. He never doubted for a moment that his daughter would succeed without fail, whatever she would decide to do with her life.   
The redhead attention was put back on the couch when Jason started to move and growl. His friend was waking up and apparently his middle was still hurting. He sighed and watched his daughter settle back next to Jason. The injured man straightened up with difficulty and tried to stretch without undoing the bandages that had been changed earlier.   
Roy grabbed his cigarette pack and approached the living room window, opened it, sat on the edge, and lit a cigarette he took from his pack and exhaled the smoke through the window opening. 

\- Slept well? 

Jason put his hand on his face. 

\- I didn't even realize I was falling asleep again.   
\- The fatigue of not doing anything with your days, I guess.   
\- Shut up, Roy. 

Lian kicked her uncle with the book she was holding in her hand. 

\- Language uncle Jay. 

Jason pulled his tongue at her, which made the little girl laugh, and settled back in comfortably. 

\- Still on a case with Stephanie?   
\- Always. I also have something to take care of tonight. I'll leave you two alone. 

Lian, who did not miss a word of the discussion, put the book on her lap and jumped at the opportunity. 

\- Does that mean we can invite (Y/N)? 

Roy laughed and exhaled his smoke through the window before answering his daughter. 

\- I think it's going to be complicated for you to see (Y/N) in the evening for a while, princess. 

Lian gave him an interrogative look as Jason, frankly interested, turned his head at his friend. 

\- What do you mean?   
\- I ran into her on my way home. She was coming out of a job interview at The Question Mark bar. Apparently she was recruited and starts tonight. 

Lian looked a little sad about this statement but started smiling again when she realized that if (Y/N) had found a job it meant she would stay in Gotham for a long time. Long enough anyway for her to allow Lian to see her again when she was here for the holidays.   
Jason, on the other hand, darkened up and said nothing for a long time. He listened to his friend and Lian talking, ruminating that the young woman he was beginning to like was going to work in a bar run by The Riddler. Certainly the bar itself was not dangerous in itself, and let's face it, The Riddler had had its moment of glory, but now he was a threat only to good taste and humour. Jason's stomach was still tightening at that perspective. 

The rest of the day went by without any major events and when evening came, Roy had to leave for his mission. He prepared lunch for everyone and left them on the couch watching a movie that was playing and that he wouldn't regret missing. He went out through the window and set off for the docks, making a detour to the bar in which (Y/N) was working.   
The young woman was already there, black blouse, skirt and shoes, green apron and green headband with purple question marks in place, she was taking the order of a man whose figure was familiar to him. He shrugged his shoulders and went on his way. 

Inside the bar, (Y/N) finished writing her customer's order on her notebook, smiled at him, and confirmed that his order would arrive in a few minutes. She grabbed a handout from the next table and handed it to the man, with a pen. 

\- I would also like to give you this. It's an answer sheet for tonight's quiz. If you want to participate alone, you can write your name and answer the questions directly on the sheet that will be collected at the end of the quiz. If you want to do this in a group, with other customers of the bar, you can, you just have to find a team name. 

The customer Roy had seen, thanked her warmly, and the young woman went to the bar to place the order, and continued to take some orders while the rest was prepared.   
When she returned with her tray and the two glasses ordered, she was surprised to see a well-known face sitting at the table with her client. 

\- Good evening (Y/N), I didn't know you worked here. 

The young woman paused for a moment, surprised. 

\- Oh hello Dick, sorry I didn't expected to see you here. 

She smiled at him, and placed Dick’s companion order in front of him and then turned to the young man. 

\- I guess the diabolo grenadine is for you. 

Dick laughed and glance at the person sitting at the table with him. 

\- Yes, it's for me. Apparently no matter how old his children are, Bruce still has trouble with the fact that some of us drink, and not just diabolos. 

(Y/N) took a look at that Bruce Dick had just mentioned and realized how much Dick and Jason looked like him. The hair, the eyes, even the appearance of the face had a small resemblance. She brought back a lock of hair that had escaped behind her ear and let out a slight laugh. 

\- I guess you must also be Jason's father. 

Bruce gave the young woman a surprised look. 

\- Do you know my other son? 

(Y/N) nodded. 

\- Yeah, he's the one I met Dick through. We're neighbors, and I used to be Lian and Jason's nanny.   
\- Knowing my son, he must not have been happy about the situation.   
\- He didn't have much choice. 

Dick nodded and added to the young woman explanation. 

\- Well, with his fall, he had to remain calm, and (Y/N) almost managed to control him. A real feat when you know my brother's stubbornness.   
\- Strange... he said the same thing about you. Apparently stubbornness is a family thing. I mean no disrespect. 

Bruce smiled at the young woman and told her that he had not taken her words badly and that on the contrary he was well aware of how his children used to listen only to what they wanted. With a laugh (Y/N) apologized to both men and returned to work. 

\- Something tells me you already knew who she is.   
\- Stephanie tends to tell Barbara everything, especially on the phone, on speakerphone, in the living room. It wasn't that hard to find out. 

Dick hid a smile in his glass and turned his attention to (Y/N) as she sailed between the tables, smiling.   
The young man finally took his eyes off her and grabbed the answer sheet for the quiz. 

\- As long as we're here, we might as well enjoy it. How about Batfamily as a team name? That seems very appropriate to me.  
\- Dick...   
\- All right, all right...... Well, it'll be « Devinettes » then. Riddle but in French. I prefer not to get too tired for the name. For all we know, the questions might be really complicated. 

Bruce rolled his eyes and let his elder do whatever he wanted. About fifteen minutes later, he appeared on stage, his usual costume in place and a microphone in his hand: The Ridler had just made his entrance.   
The regulars of the place acclaimed him and some applauded. Bruce frowned and Dick pouted. 

\- At the same time we should have known... just in the name of the bar... 

Edward Nygma presented the rules of the quiz and congratulated the participants. After throwing a few jokes at the assembled crowd, he started the game and posed his first riddle, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. 

\- What word in the English language does the following: the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word? 

Dick looked at Bruce with the forbidden look on his face. He finally sighed and slipped the sheet to his father who seemed to know the answer. 

\- I never liked his riddles anyway. 

Nygma, repeated the question twice to those who asked him, and then moved on to the next one.   
On the eighth question, Dick signalled to (Y/N) to approach them, ordered a beer for himself and a whisky for Bruce. He took advantage of her presence to chat a little. 

\- That’s your boss on stage, isn't it?   
\- Yes. Mr. Nygma, is a strange man, but he's rather friendly. He lets us keep all our tips and my colleague Chris told me earlier that after closing time, he stays to help us clean up. He seems to be quite close to his employees. 

Dick pouted and before he could answer Bruce addressed the young woman. 

\- He is also a notorious criminal in Gotham. 

(Y/N) looked in his direction, unfazed. 

\- He is also the only person who answered me when I was looking for a job, and especially who did not ask me indiscreet questions about my life before Gotham. I'm fine with that. 

Dick had a big smile on his face. 

\- Things to hide?   
\- No Dick, nothing to hide, I'm just used to having to deal with recruiters who sift through my life without taking an interest in my diplomas or skills. 

The young man did not answer that but went on to say that The Riddler was not the most innocent of men. 

\- He's still a criminal, if I were you I'd be careful and look for another job quickly. 

(Y/N) sighed, but did not let her annoyance appear on her face.

\- Good thing I didn't ask for your opinion. I'd still be stuck in my apartment doing nothing all day in this case. 

She took their empty glasses back and dropped off their order at the bar to pick them up a little later.   
Meanwhile, Dick had been speechless. 

\- Now I understand why she gets along so well with your brother. She’ll be able to send you to hell if necessary. 

Dick answered nothing and pretended to be interested in the piece of paper on which Bruce had answered the questions asked. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

A few days later (Y/N) rang at Roy and Jason's apartment. It was Lian who opened it to her. 

\- Hi Lian, your father sent me a message, he asked me to keep an eye on you, can I come in? 

Lian nodded and moved to the side to let the young woman in. She didn't look very happy that day. She kept her head slightly down and her eyes, usually sparkling, seemed extinguished.   
(Y/N) closed the door behind her, and knelt down in front of the girl. 

\- What's the matter, sweetie?  
\- Nothing. 

The young woman sighed and took Lian's hand in hers. 

\- I can see something's bothering you. I understand you don't want to talk about it, but if at some point you want someone to listen to you, I'll be there, okay? 

The little one nodded and before the young woman could get up, she threw herself into her arms to hug her for a moment before releasing her and running to her father's room.   
(Y/N) followed her with her eyes, and stood up, biting the inside her cheek, worried about this behaviour that she had not yet seen in Lian. 

\- She's bored and sad because Roy has been away quite a bit in the last few days. 

The young woman looked in the direction of Jason who was sitting on the couch and who seemed to be in much better shape. She took off her jacket and sat next to him on the couch looking worried. 

\- Maybe it would be good for her to get out. I could take her to a museum or an exhibition. Or take her to the park. Staying locked up all day while she's on vacation must start weighing on her.   
\- Lian is a very active little girl. I think it would be good for her to go out and take her mind off it. The problem is, I don't know what it would interest a girl her age. The mall? 

(Y/N) hit him in the shoulder. 

\- Not all girls think about shopping, Mr. Prejudice. There must be things to do in Gotham. 

Jason shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his cell phone. He looked for something to do for a moment under the young woman's gaze and finally turned the phone towards her. 

\- Bubble archaeology? What is it?   
\- An exhibition at the Museum of the University of Gotham. It allows you to discover archaeology through comics and Lian loves comics. 

(Y/N)'s face lit up. 

\- Read me the presentation of the exhibition... wait wait wait you have a museum in your university??   
\- Welcome to Gotham.

The young woman looked up to the sky and listened to Jason read her the Gotham Gazette's description of the exhibition in question. After a few minutes of discussion on the subject, Jason and (Y/N) agreed on the issue. Lian needed to have fun and this outing could be both fun and entertaining. The young woman thought she would have to convince Jason to accompany them with a lot of arguments, but he beat her to it and asked her if he could accompany them. He himself needed to stretch his legs. (Y/N) accepted with pleasure and she went to announce their plan to Lian who was delighted with the news.   
They prepared quite quickly and left the building, Lian between the two adults, holding hands with each other. They walked part of the way and then took the bus to Midtown and the University of Gotham. (Y/N) who had not yet really visited the city, took the opportunity to admire the city, sitting next to Jason who gave her indications about the buildings, or monuments she was seeing, Lian on her knees. They passed Robinson Park before arriving at the university bus stop and Jason and (Y/N) promised Lian that they would walk there after the museum visit.   
When they got off the bus, they headed for the university museum, Lian still between them. After queuing to obtain their entrance ticket, they entered the main hall of the museum and headed towards the young woman in her early twenties, an archaeology student, who would serve as their guide for the visit.   
The guide was obviously passionate about her studies and when Lian asked her questions about the objects that were presented behind her, on a small console, the young student was very happy to introduce her and explain to her what the study journals, dig books and research instruments were for. The guide gave Lian, her own notebook and a pen with the university's arms so that she could write down what she found interesting and told her with a mysterious look that she could herself be the source of a discovery.   
Lian opened her eyes, excited at this perspective and when she turned to her uncle and (Y/N) to talk to them, her attention was drawn to two paintings behind them: a portrait of Jean-François Champollion, the first to decipher the hieroglyphics and Mosul's Pasha's visit to Khorsabad excavations by Felix Thomas. She was particularly interested in the explanations given by the guide on the strange figure in the second painting: a winged androcephalus bull with five legs.  
The guide led them to a small theater where she presented them with a video in which the steps of the archaeological drawing were explained in common terms. Lian's eyes were riveted on the screen while Jason preferred to watch her neighbour smile as she saw the little girl focused on what she was learning. The video ended with a map of the museum and the current exhibition that described how both the archaeologist and the comic artist use the sketchbook and pencil to conduct scientific surveys at an archaeological excavation site or to facilitate reconstruction in a work of fiction.

The guide then took them to a second room, which shows and learns the notion of archaeological treasures. Jason and (Y/N) headed towards the back of the room while Lian was busy asking questions to their guide about a bronze statue of the god Apollo. 

\- You were right, going out feels good.   
\- Yes, she already looks much happier now than she did earlier at the apartment. And I have the impression that the exhibition fascinates her. Excellent choice, Mr. Todd. 

(Y/N) smiled at Jason, who replied with a little laughter. 

\- I had nothing to do with it, it's the Gotham Gazette to thank. 

The young woman took him by the arm and Jason, who had become tense under the surprise, relaxed almost immediately, feeling a little strange at the time, but delighted. 

\- You underestimate yourself. And Lian will only keep in mind that it was your idea to bring her here. 

Jason looked at the young woman hanging on his arm for a moment. 

\- Did you tell her it was my idea?   
\- Of course I told her it was your idea.   
\- Why? You were the one who wanted to get her out.   
\- But you're her uncle, and she loves you unconditionally. She will remember from that day that she had fun with her uncle whom she loves and that is the most important thing. 

For a minute Jason had the irresistible urge to hug (Y/N) and never let go. However, he reasoned with himself and decided not to. He and the young woman still on his arm, followed the guide and Lian led them to the next room.   
The third room was larger than the two previous ones and in its centre was a gigantic window that displays in layers the objects found at the Susa site in southwestern Iran. It is thanks to this showcase that the young guide explains to Lian, the classification and dating of the objects found during the research. The fascinated little girl did not pay attention to her uncle or neighbour, standing nearby who themselves admire the small terracotta objects, tiny female figurines, horseman, bear or bull statuettes that have been found on the site in question.

\- Thank you. 

(Y/N) took her gaze off the old statuettes to look at Jason, who was still staring at the window. 

\- Thank you for what? 

Jason seemed to hesitate for a moment, then inspired and gathered his courage, which he usually did not lack. 

\- Thank you for coming to keep us company, for making Lian happy. To bear with me.   
\- Jason.... 

(Y/N) could not find the words she wanted to say. Telling him "nothing" didn't seem appropriate, while answering him "but no, I didn't do any of that" seemed hollow, hypocritical and misplaced. She simply gave him a pressure with her hand that she had still resting on the young man's arm.   
He finally looked up at her and shyly smiled at her. They were interrupted by the young student who invited them to follow her to the fourth and last room of the exhibition. In this last stage of the visit, Lian, under the explanation of their guide, discovers giant comic strips that humorously describe the life of a Paleolithic family called "Silex and the City" or scientific works on the rediscovered history of ancient and almost forgotten peoples. 

\- I think even if the visit is over, she'll want to stay.   
\- Do you think so? She wanted to go for a walk in the park when we were on the bus.   
\- Lian likes to learn. She is extremely curious, and when it comes to discovering something new for her, she sticks with the subject until she gets sick. 

(Y/N) let a laugh escape, and turned to the guide who approached them, letting Lian leaf through the books nearby. 

\- Your daughter is incredible. Usually children are not as passionate about old objects. She asks incredibly interesting questions.

Jason stiffened up and (Y/N) bit her tongue so as not to laugh. 

\- Yes Lian is very curious by nature. Thank you very much for this visit, it was really very interesting, and your explanations were very clear even for neophytes like us. 

The student blushed and protested when (Y/N) tipped her to thank her for guiding them. She finally accepted and told them that the winged bull the little girl had seen in the painting at the beginning of the visit was actually a statuette and that it was displayed a little further down in the wing dedicated to oriental antiquities. Jason and his partner thanked her and joined the little girl who seemed to be flying from book to book. When her uncle told her that she could see the bull, she jumped joyously at the idea and they headed for the room indicated by the guide. 

When they admired what they wanted to admire, Lian reminded them of their promise and all three headed for the park. It was a sunny and hot day, and they ended up settling under a tree in the shade, after buying ice cream from a small kiosk near for each of them. Lian, well settled between Jason and (Y/N), seemed happy. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Tired of the heat that had fallen on them, Jason, (Y/N) and Lian left the park and moved to a small bar/restaurant not far from the university. The fresh air provided by the establishment's air conditioning did them the greatest good, and everyone sat at a table near the windows to observe passers-by braving the heat.   
A 40-year-old waitress approached them and asked them what they wanted to order in a quiet voice. She looked at Lian and already looked exasperated by the child's presence. She had probably had clients more than once whose children were not holding their heads in place and expected the same behaviour from the little girl who was reading the card, with interest.   
Jason ordered a cold beer for himself, and a soda for Lian, concerning (Y/N), she asked for an iced tea for herself. 

\- Uncle Jay, you shouldn't drink beer it's still morning. 

Lian gave her uncle a reproving look behind her menu. 

\- It's noon. Well it’s past noon young girl and by talking like that you're going to make me look like an alcoholic. 

The young woman who was accompanying them did not interfere in the game between Jason and his niece but observed them with a smile. She thanked the waitress who had returned with their order and asked her for something to eat, her stomach starting to wake up. 

\- If you want, we can order some food. A real meal, I mean.   
\- I'm fine, I'm not that hungry, though.... 

(Y/N) turned her eyes to Lian who was sulking after losing to her uncle. 

\- Maybe Lian's hungry? And so maybe are you. 

The little one nodded and plunged back into her menu, apparently slightly faking being mad at Jason. The latter smiled and rolled his eyes to the little girl's reaction. The young man assured her that he was not hungry for the moment, and that they could always stop later to buy food.   
(Y/N) nodded and for a moment no one spoke. It wasn't one of those uncomfortable silences that pushes you to rack your brains to find something to say. It was rather the kind of silence that comes after a pleasant morning, and where you just feel good to be in the company of others, the kind of time when you don't need to say anything to feel comfortable. The presence of others is enough.   
And for the first time in a long time Jason didn't feel the need to be on guard. He was just happy to share his day with his beloved niece, and the young woman who had managed to integrate into the small group of people he liked. Strange when he thought about it. He had only recently met her, but her presence had the effect of calming him down. And even if he had had suspicions, doubts and a big problem of trust, he knew perfectly well that Dick had done some research on the young woman behind his back, and that if something was wrong with her, his brother would have told him, or at least taken care of it himself.   
The advantage of having an army of detectives in the family. He smiled at himself and shook his head, attracting the young woman's attention. 

\- Something wrong ?   
\- No, it's all right. And it's been a long time since everything has been so good. 

(Y/N) smiled at him and carried her glass to her lips. 

\- Getting out of your apartment for a while is good for you. You look less stressed.   
\- Hm... going out during the day is not really part of my routine. I work mainly at night. By the way, welcome to the club. Dick came by shortly before you arrived and told me he met you at Question Mark.  
-Yes, he came to the bar several days ago and offered me advice on my boss.   
\- Advice I imagine you didn't ask him?   
\- No, I did not. Oh, and I met your father too. He seems charming. 

Jason got tense and looked stunned. 

\- My father?   
\- Bruce. He was there first, by the way. Dick joined him a little later, and he introduced me to your father. They participated in Mr. Nygma's quiz.   
\- Bruce took part in a quiz? Seriously? 

Jason, who looked angry a few seconds earlier, now looked completely bewildered. 

\- Yes. We talked a little bit about you too, we didn't really talk about it. Just enough for your father and I to agree that you were stubborn. 

She hid her smile in her drink and watched Jason,while sipping on her tea. 

\- You're Satan.

(Y/N) laughed, pulling Lian to her. 

\- Am I now?   
\- Yes. 

The young woman laughed and rolled her eyes. Jason's smile, however, did not escape her. It was nice to see the young man smiling. He was a bit rough around the edge but she definitely liked him. More than his brother anyway, who tended to be too... too tactile and didn't bother to enter her personal space without being invited. She didn't hate him though, she just didn't feel as comfortable with Dick as she did with Jason. But maybe she was still a bit uneasy with the unwanted advice.  
They spent a moment talking to each other, Lian having finally decided not to ignore her uncle anymore. When they had finished their drinks, they paid for them, then went away, finding themselves in the hot and sunny streets of Gotham.   
They walked on the sidewalk beside a series of restaurants and small shops, they discussed what they could do now, none of them in a hurry to return home.   
They finally decided to take public transport and head for the Wayne Botanical Garden.   
Lian had seen that her uncle didn't really like the idea of going to a place named after his father, but she was sure that he wouldn't say anything for the benefit of (Y/N). She had heard him complain enough to her father about the fact that Wayne's name was being placed all over the city because of their involvement in the construction and history of the city. But even more so because although he would never admit it, Wayne was also his family and it pisses him off to be reminded that little fact.  
They got on the bus and Jason played the guides for the young woman again until they got to their stop.   
They walked around the botanical garden, (Y/N) admiring the plants, trees and decorations of the greenhouse. Jason watched her marvel when the visit was interrupted by an impromptu visitor. 

\- Hello Jason. 

The young man turned around and found himself facing his father with Damian. 

\- DAMI!!! 

Lian and (Y/N) had turned around when Bruce called their partner, and the little girl immediately saw her friend. She detached herself from the young woman whose hand she was holding and rushed into Damian's arms, who, under the shock of the impact, took a few steps back with an upset look.

\- Bruce. 

Jason closed like an oyster to the greatest despair of (Y/N) who approached the small group. 

\- Hello. 

Bruce gave the young woman a broad friendly smile and shook her hand. Damian, who had managed to get her friend to let go, looked at the young woman suspiciously.  
Lian elbowed him in the sides when he asked her to introduce herself, using an unpleasant tone. 

\- (Y/N). I'm Jason's neighbour.   
\- I was not aware that neighbours were now considered socially acceptable for a trip to the family botanical garden. Are we even sure there's still a member of our family here. 

Bruce called his youngest son back to order and apologized to the young woman, explaining that Damian was rather homey, and that his manners were still not very gentle.   
(Y/N) at first shocked by the young boy's cold and somewhat aggressive repartee, answered nothing, and smiled at Bruce, looking uncomfortable anyway. 

\- Sorry to interrupt you during your visit, but when I saw you, I took the opportunity.   
\- What do you want, Bruce? 

The young woman put her hand on Jason's arm and simply looked in the direction of her friend's father, without saying a word. 

\- Within a week there will be an evening at home. I would like you to be present. This is a great opportunity for us all to be together. If it is convenient for you, (Y/N), you are cordially invited. I enjoyed our meeting the other night, I would be happy to have the opportunity to talk to you again. 

He looked back at his son again. 

\- Roy and Lian are also welcome. Lian will be able to take advantage of her presence here to have fun with Damian.   
\- I'll get the message across. 

Bruce nodded while Lian was already looking forward to the prospect. (Y/N) seemed uncomfortable. 

\- It's very kind of you to invite me, but I wouldn't want to interfere in a family reunion.   
\- Don't worry, you are very welcome, especially since there will not only be family. You won't feel left out, I promise. I'll send you an invitation myself tonight.   
\- That's very kind of you, thank you. 

(Y/N) and Bruce exchanged a few more words and then Bruce finally took his leave and walked away with Damian.   
Jason, still angry that he had run into Bruce without having the opportunity to tell him to go to hell, turned to Lian and the young woman who was accompanying them and approached her. 

\- Sorry about that.   
\- Sorry about what? Your father is charming, although I don't really understand why he invited me.   
\- It's a charity event, he wants us all to be together for this kind of event. Let the image of the perfect family be presented.   
\- I understood the other nigth that your father was indeed an important person. But, what did your... little brother meant by family botanical garden ? 

Jason sighed and swore silently to himself to strangle the demon head when he had the chance. He seemed to think for a moment and then decided to explain to the young woman who his father really was and what this meant in relation to the botanical garden, and the rest of the buildings, monuments and other organizations named after Wayne.   
(Y/N) remained silent for most of Jason's explanations, and resigned herself to not comment. The young man didn't seem comfortable with the situation, and she preferred to take his arm to quietly let him know that it didn't make much difference to her.   
She changed the subject of discussion, and they finished their visit of the garden. As they left the greenhouse, the sun was still high in the sky and the heat was more overwhelming than ever. By mutual agreement, everyone opted to go home, and got on the first bus that came by. 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

The stairs of the building were the setting for a race between Jason and Lian as everyone went back to their floor. On the landing on their floor, the young man who had obviously beaten the little girl, was waiting for her, squatting down with his arms wide open to receive her as she threw herself at him laughing. (Y/N) who did not wish to participate in the race, followed. The young woman finished climbing the few remaining steps and headed for the door of her apartment. She was interrupted as she was looking for the keys to her house, by Jason, who invited her to stay with them a little longer. She looked at him a little surprised, but took her hand out of her purse, and accepted the young man's offer.   
She followed him home and found Lian already sitting on the couch. 

\- Lian's getting hungry, I'm going to cook, will you join us? 

(Y/N) accepted with a smile and offered her help in preparing the meal, which Jason politely refused, explaining that when he was in the kitchen, it was better not to get in his way or risk accidentally getting hit with a spatula. Lian confirmed what her uncle said and lured the young woman with her on the couch.   
When Jason had finished preparing lunch, the afternoon was already well advanced and everyone sat down to enjoy the dish the young man had prepared. After eating, they stayed for a moment to talk until their neighbour noticed the time and decided to go home and get some sleep before going to work.   
She got up, received a hug from Lian, and didn't know very well how to say goodbye to Jason. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to kiss him on the cheek. She returned home, leaving Jason stunned and a secretly victorious Lian. The little girl would be happy to tell that to her father and eventually to Dick. 

That same evening, (Y/N) prepared herself, grabbed the bag in which she had packed her uniform for work and left her house.  
She walked the short path that separated her from the bar and went to change in the changing rooms reserved for the employees, when she came back into the room, her notebook on her belt, she saw Dick at the same table as the last time he had come. His father was not with him this time. 

\- Good evening, Dick. What can I get you?   
\- Good evening (Y/N). A beer please, and I'd like to apologize for the last time. It wasn't very smart, or even my place, to give you advice on where you should work. 

The young woman accepted his apology and made no further comments, preferring to return to a relationship that seemed friendly, rather than a persistent embarrassment. He was after all his neighbour's brother, and she tended to see Jason often, which meant seeing Dick regularly. She left for a moment to drop off the young man's order and take care of her other tables, then came back with Dick's beer, which she put in front of him.   
He held her back for a moment and asked if there was a quiz that night. She answered in the affirmative and gave him an answer sheet. 

\- Bruce told me he met you, Jason and Lian at the botanical garden. I am happy to know that my brother is able to move around without any problems. He seems to be doing better.   
\- Yes. He's better, and we had a very good day. Apart from the heat which was a little too tirinf, the day was great. 

Dick gave her a delighted smile. 

\- It's good to hear things like that. My little brother doesn't usually get along well with people. His circle of friends is very small.   
\- I noticed yes that he had few friends. I must have a lucky star somewhere. 

The young man laughed softly and stared at her for a moment, seeming charmed by her natural niceness. 

\- I hope you can come. 

(Y/N) stopped for a moment before she understood what Dick was talking about. 

\- Oh, the party. I... Uh... I haven't really taken a decision yet to be honest. Lian has already started trying to convince me to come, but I feel a little uncomfortable crashing a party for which I'm not really the target. And I'm not part of your family, it seems wrong to me to come in this situation. 

Dick did not have time to reply as one of the young woman's colleagues called her to let her know that her other customers' orders were ready. She apologized and went back to work.   
During the evening, the young man repeated his order several times and ended up ordering a burger as the quiz was about to start. He answered most of the questions, watching the young woman from the corner of his eye, and got one or two answers from her when he seemed to be in trouble.   
When the end of (Y/N's) shift came, she went to change in the locker room, and joined Dick at his table. 

\- Can I join you ?   
\- Of course. 

The young man moved to make way for the young woman, and the waitress who replaced her came to take their order. (Y/N)'s colleague stopped at the sight of Dick and flirted with him for a moment before leaving with their order. The young woman rolled her eyes and spoke to her table mate. 

\- Something tells me this isn't the first time this has happened to you.   
\- Without wanting to appear futile or entitled, yes, it happens quite often. It's not unpleasant on some days, but most of the time it's just embarrassing. 

(Y/N) smiled and changed the subject of the discussion. They essentially discussed the day the young woman had spent with the young man's brother and Lian. Dick seemed interested in the exhibition they had seen, and became tense when she told him about their fortuitous encounter with Bruce. 

\- Jason must have told you what it meant, right? And you had the pleasure of meeting Damian.   
\- Yes, Jason explained to me who your family was. I must admit that it's quite impressive and if it hadn't been explained to me, I don't think I would have ever suspected it. As for your brother...... He looks like...   
\- Mean and devoid of any sense of conversation? 

The young woman laughed. 

\- I wouldn't have said it like that, but I was a little shocked by his repartee. I don't think he likes me very much.   
\- Damian is still young, and he is very proud. We try to make him behave properly but sometimes it's a little complicated.   
\- I suppose so. He must be the same age as Lian, right?   
\- He is two years older, but he is still small for his age. We have already begun to take bets on a spectacular growth spurt. Our other brother Tim hopes with all his heart that he will remain tiny for the rest of his life. Personally I am convinced that he will be as big as Bruce.   
\- Tim? How many of you are in your family? Jason didn't tell me about it. 

Dick looked embarrassed and put his hand through his hair before finishing his drink. 

\- We are..... Many... There are Jason, Tim, Damian, Duke and me, and the girls. Stephanie, Barbara, and Cassandra. Not to mention the "friends" that Bruce has more or less adopted unofficially. They have unrestricted access to the house if ever needed.   
\- Wow.... It's quite a family. 

They spent another hour discussing Dick and Jason's family and then a little bit about the young woman's family. When the bar was about to close, Dick offered to walk her home, which she accepted. When Jason's older brother arrived at the door of the young woman's building, he ended an anecdote about their younger brother and Tim who had a tendency to argue over the slightest thing.   
Discomfort set in and Dick decided to break this embarrassing moment by pull the young woman into a hug to say goodbye. He also promised to return to the bar regularly, and made her promise to participate with him in one of the quizzes one of these evenings. 

When the young woman found herself in front of her door, she could hear the cries of joy and laughter behind her neighbours' door. She interrupted her action as she was about to put the key in her door and smiled as she heard Lian's voice suffocated by the walls. 

\- I don't want to hear your apology. You can't just give me wet-willies.

(Y/N) smiled and went home. She put her things in a corner, took her uniform, washed it and then went to take a shower. Once she was clean and relaxed, she put on her favorite pajamas and went to bed. The right wall of her room was common to the wall of her neighbours' living room, and she could hear Lian's cries and sometimes by listening carefully, the voices of the two young men next door.   
With a sigh, she recalled the events of the day. She thought about the young museum guide who thought Lian was her daughter and Jason’s. She recalled that the young man had not noticed when she had not denied what the student thought. She smiled and thought maybe she should ask him why. An idea that she rejected a few seconds later, not wanting to make the young man uncomfortable with an event that had happened in the morning and that she was sure of, he had already forgotten.   
She also thought about meeting Bruce in the garden. Dick had had good arguments during the evening, and when she thought about it, she was curious to know how this kind of evening was going. And then she'd have a good excuse to see Jason. Now that he was better, it would be more difficult for her to see him. He was going to go back to work, and even if she was babysitting Lian, Jason, would not necessarily be there. 

On the other side of the wall, the infernal trio finished the board game initiated by the little girl. Jason was putting away the game and the dishes while Roy was putting his daughter to bed. Lian had given her father a detailed account of the day and had illustrated each stage of the day with strong gestures and mimes.   
Jason, wished good night to the little girl and her father through the door frame and went to bed himself.   
Lying in his bed, he couldn't help but think back to the kiss (Y/N) he had left on his cheek before leaving. He felt a kind of knot in his stomach, a bit like the first time he met Kory or Artemis. The only difference being that (Y/N) was not an overpowered alien about to be queen of her planet, or an invulnerable amazon that could literally break every bone in his body without even breaking a sweat. He smiles as he looks up at the ceiling of his room. (Y/N) was different. She was kind and Lian loved her and despite her kindness, she had a strong character. He was certain that she couldtell him to go to hell if he pushed her to the limit. Just this idea made him laugh and he realized at that moment that it might not just be her presence that he appreciated.


End file.
